A Friend in Need
by Shaz1
Summary: Complete! Jack gets kidnapped, and when he is rescued, he is no longer the same Captain Jack Sparrow that was taken, can his friends help him, or is he lost to them for forever? Final Chapter now up! please RR!
1. Chapter One

Title: A Friend in Need

Author: Sharron Ibbitson

Rating: We'll say PG13 for now, though in the UK probably more of a 15.

Disclaimer: unfortunately Captain Jack and his band of merry men don't belong to me they are the property of Disney and the actors that portray them, there I've admitted that Jack Sparrow doesn't belong to me are you happy now?

Summary: Jack gets kidnapped, and when he is rescued, he is no longer the same Captain Jack Sparrow that was taken, can his friends help him, or is he lost to them for forever?

Please R+R!!!!!!!!

A Friend in Need 

Captain Jack Sparrow stood at the helm of his beloved Black Pearl, starring out ahead of him at the vast expanse of ocean. A light breeze gently blowing the loose strands of his long hair from side to side. He sighed to himself, this to him was perfection. Stood at the wheel of his ship, his Pearl, yep this was certainly where Captain Jack belonged. He took a deep breath of the fresh sea air, then turned his head to bark out his orders to his crew, after all a captain had to ensure that his crew stayed on their toes. The Pearl had had a very successful couple of months since Jack had managed to claim his rightful place as captain on the fastest ship in the Caribbean two months before. He smiled to himself at the recollection, a pirate is supposed to be out for himself, only after as bigger loot as possible, yet somehow young William Turner and Elizabeth Swan had integrated themselves into the pirate's once stony heart. He almost hated himself for caring about the young couple, as it was so unlike him, yet he just couldn't help himself. Will reminded him so much of old Bootstrap that it was uncanny, Jack shook his heads to clear his thoughts, they were fast approaching their target, and he had some looting to do.

.////////

"There she is" Jack told his first mate, gesturing wildly with his hands, and displaying a mad grin of satisfaction as he caught sight of their prey., Gibbs simply nodded in agreement, after all these years he was more than used to his slightly mad captain. He turned his attention to where the younger man was looking. The Spanish ship was at full sail, yet the Pearl was catching her effortlessly. Jack winked at Gibbs then turned his attention back to his crew. "Right you rabid dogs, we've got some plundering to do" he shouted out and Gibbs nodded before seconding the command and ordering the crew to their tasks. Jack silently loaded his pistol and rested one hand on his cutlass and the other on the wheel. 

"Right then lads, let's get us some loot" he muttered to himself, as they got close enough to the merchant ship, they raised Jack's personal colours, and began to do they did best. The Black Pearl turned with a grace that was neigh on impossible for a ship of her size, and the gun were aimed menacingly at the other ship. Jack smiled slightly, pleased with the way that his crew were so in tune with each other and his beloved ship. Merchant ships were easy money for the Pearl and they all knew it, yet it never paid to get too complacent. Jack's attention was immediately caught at the loud rapport of a cannon, he ducked down out of habit, and he discovered that the seemingly harmless merchant ship was in fact firing upon his ship.

"They're shooting at my bloody ship" he exclaimed in astonishment, he hadn't seen that coming. "Interesting" he muttered under his breath, though his face was set into a grim line of concentration. "That's no bloody merchant ship" he muttered to the first mate stood besides him. "Return fire, come on now!" he yelled at his crew, and immediately they set to work. "Does nobody honour the bloody rules anymore" Jack ranted to himself and he paced up and down his ship, seemingly oblivious to the cannon balls flying over his head as he did so. 

"I think we need to get on that ship" Gibbs commented to his captain, and Jack nodded, the usual look of insanity missing from his eyes as he agreed.

"Men take arms, we're commandeering us a ship" Jack shouted, louder than usual to be heard above the chaos around him.

"Aye aye captain" the men responded as one by one they armed themselves with muskets, and cutlasses and followed their captain, just as they always would.

//////

The fighting seemed to go on forever, yet Jack still didn't know exactly who they were fighting, generally it held no odds to a pirate, but jack was no ordinary pirate, he disliked being tricked in such a deliberate way, he flicked his cutlass into the man in front of him, and set off to help the remainder of his crew. It was difficult to tell who was winning there current fight, if anyone was at all. The whole scene was one of chaos with bodies littering the ground, and the deck wet and sticky with blood spilt. Men on both sides were falling and Jack was beginning to wonder if this was a fight that they couldn't win.

"Captain Sparrow does not give up" he muttered to himself, and it became his own personal mantra as he fought on. He used every dirty trick in the book; to ensure that he would not he killed that night. He locked blades with what felt like the twentieth adversary that night, and kicked the man hard in the knee satisfied when he heard the tell tale crunch. He looked up, making the most of the moment to survey the scene before him, eventually he found his first mate desperately trying to ward off two men, Gibbs looked exhausted Jack noted in concern, and immediately headed in that direction. Grabbing the rigging that hang loose above him, he swung across, his feet impacting solidly with he first man's head, and then he took his sword to the second, his arms burnt from the heavy sword he wielded, yet he did not let up until the man was on the floor.

"Well don't; just stand there? Aren't ye supposed to be filling your pockets?" Jack asked turning to his older first mate. Gibbs managed a weak smile of gratitude.

"Aye Captain, I believe I am" he responded, and with that he turned on his heal and went to round up some others to help him pilfer; as soon as he was gone Jack gratefully sank down to his knees. He rubbed his hand over his weary face, and just concentrated on breathing. He was pent, and for once he didn't mind admitting it, that had been too close. For a moment he thought he was going to end up having lost all of his crew, and then his pearl and that would have been more than we could have bared. He gingerly pushed his hand against his side and wasn't supposed when it came back red and sticky, yet he knew he had only been clipped by his opponent's blade. He sighed again and wearily got to his feet, pulling his trademark waist sash a little higher to cover the obvious sign of injury. He slowly traversed the length of the deck and made his way back to his own ship. Unfortunately for Jack in his tiredness he allowed himself to be sloopier than he usually would have been, and so was caught by surprised by a sword to the throat. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Okay firstly just to say a quick thank you to my reviewers! Your kind words truly mean a lot to mean, granted  may not have received many reviews, but the sheer enthusiasm of those that I have got more than make up for it! So thank you again. And please keep reviewing as the story progresses.

Chapter Two

"Hello Jack" a quiet voice muttered from over the Pirate's shoulder. Jack whirled around.

"Harry, how pleasant to see you" he greeted with his usual air of exaggerated movement, swaying slightly, as if intoxicated.

"You can cut the act Jack, I know you too well to believe you have been on the rum the night of a raid" the other man told the pirate captain. 

"Really Harry, you wound me, to think that I would in any way try to mislead you. Anyway it really has been delightful seeing you gain, but now I really must be off" Jack replied slurring his words as he spoke, and turning as if to walk away, only the very insistent pressure of the blade against his neck kept him from actually walking away. 

"How about you and me go and have a little chat Jacky boy huh?" the older pirate asked the captain. Jack sighed dramatically.

"Well if you really insist Harry me lad, but I can't be long it's nearly dinner time after all" he responded cheerily, and then followed his captor to an enclosed part of the ship. 'Where the hell are me crew?" Jack thought to himself, when no-one seemed too bothered about stopping the man that was currently holding a large sword to their captain's throat.

"Don't you worry your crew are just fine, which is obviously more than can be said for mine, it seems you have improved with age me boy" Harry told his captive in a friendly tone.

"Alright 'arry, what's going on here?" Jack asked impatiently.

"You really don't know do ya?" Harry asked, and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Well if I did I wouldn't be asking ye would I?" he asked sarcastically, and was almost caught off guard again when the older man chuckled.

"Jack, you are the answers to my prayers, you my son are gonna make me rich" he responded, and before Jack could form a response, his vision turned to black and his head exploded as a large man struck the pirate captain from behind, and he fell to the ground heavily. 

"Throw him in the brig, and set the sails" Harry told the man, who simply nodded and did as he was bid, dragging the now unconscious Jack Sparrow roughly under the arms, and relayed his captains instruction to the remaining members of the crew.

//////

"Gibbs, is Jack back?" Anamaria asked the large man, she had been back aboard the Pearl for some time, and had not seen hide or hair of their captain.

"Nay, I haven't seen him lassie, I think he is still aboard….." Gibbs responded, yet his thoughts were cut off as he noticed the scene before him. "What the hell…? Who the bloody hell is sailing that ship?" he asked in disbelieve as the ship they had just raided began sailing away from the Pearl. 

"Jack" Anamaria stated, but her word left just as a breath.

"It was a bloody trap, a stinking bloody trap" Gibbs added, as realisation dawned on him "It was all a trap, they wanted Jack" he commented, and Anamaria nodded drawing the same conclusion. 

"Come on Gibbs, we set sail now, we got us a captain to get back" Anamaria told the large man beside her, and she didn't need to say it twice, as he was in motion before her sentence was complete. She sighed to herself. 'Damn Jack Sparrow, the man couldn't keep himself out of trouble if he tried, and he never ever had the inclination to particularly try' she thought to herself, as she felt her heart constrict with concern for her friend, and her captain. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, there was no point dwelling, they had ship to catch and a captain to take back. 

//////////////

The Pearl set sail immediately, yet in the darkened seas could find no trace of the foe.

"I don't understand where she can be, she didn't have that much of a head start" Anamaria stated to Gibbs, and he nodded.

"Nay lass they didn't besides we should have been able to catch her anyway" he replied, knowing that they were sailing the fastest ship in the Caribbean. 

"Where's she gone then?" Anamaria asked her frustration evident in her tone.

"I don't know lass, but don't ye worry we'll find Captain Jack, you mark my words we'll find the lad" he tried to reassure her, and she had to struggle to breath past the lump in her throat.

//////////////

"It's been a month Gibbs, and no sign of him or the ship" Anamaria spoke to the older pirate beside her. They had been searching for their captain for the last five weeks, and hadn't even found a clue to where he had been taken. By some miracle the crew of pirates had agreed to continue the search, unusually attached to their captain. 

"Exactly and don't you think that if they'd have killed him we'd have heard about it in port. The death of Captain Jack Sparrow? That would be some story for someone to tell" he told her, and she grinned slightly.

"It sure as hell would" she eventually replied. "Thanks Gibbs" she continued before casually walked away, knowing that if anyone could find the Captain it would be the crew of the Black Pearl.

/////////////

William Turner whistled to himself and he tapped the steel blade of his latest sword with his hammer. Since his adventures aboard the pirate ship, Will's fortunes had much improved. As much as he hated to admit it Will knew that he had his newest found friend, the pirate Jack Sparrow, to thank for it all. He shook his head to himself, who'd have thought that he would hold a pirate in such high regard. Will had always despised pirates and everything that they stood for, yet Jack had clearly taught him that it was possible to be a pirate and a good man, because that was exactly what Jack himself was. Captain Sparrow had risked his own life to save Will and his young love Elizabeth, and he had done so willingly. Granted he had managed to get his beloved Pearl back out of the bargain, but still he hadn't really needed to risk his neck quite as much as he had done. Will shook his head a rueful grin on his face; he just hoped to himself that Jack was okay, and that he would see him soon alive and well. 

"Will? William are you here?" a woman's voice called hesitantly through the door of the blacksmiths, and Will chuckled to himself. "I have brought lunch" Elizabeth Swan called out to her fiancé. Will came up behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her waist, gently pulling her towards him to give her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Why Miss Swan, approaching a man baring gifts? Whatever will people say?" Will teased his young fiancée, Elizabeth laughed lightly before replying. 

"Yes Will Turner, you are quite right, I should leave now, it simply won't do to have my reputation tarnished" she responded with a straight face, and Will pulled her closer to him and tenderly kissed her on the lips, before breaking away form her. 

"My dear I feel it is already tarnished beyond repair" Elizabeth sighed at his words, she was certain that they had managed to get past this, yet he as still fretting on the same thing.

"Will turner I love you, and I don't care about my reputation. Besides having a pirate as a close personal friend will surely over shadow the disreputable act of being betrothed to a blacksmith" she told him with a gentle smile, and he returned the gesture. She knew that he continually worried that he had somehow soiled her; it was certainly frowned upon, a governor's daughter intending to marry a lowly blacksmith. To her he was so much more than that, he was a pirate's son, a brave man who had risked being hanged to go to her rescue when no one else would or could. Yet it had taken intervention from a pirate for either of them to admit to themselves or to each other how deep their feelings ran. That certain pirate had finally pushed Will into admitting his feelings, and thankfully Will had done as he was bid. 

"I love you Elizabeth" Will whispered into her ear, and she giggled as his breath tickled her neck. 

"I know you do, and I love you too" she responded, and he smiled.

"I never get tired of saying it or hearing you say it to me" he told her, and she laughed softly at him.

"Will you are a romantic" she told him "I am glad you did say it for if you hadn't I would be engaged to the commodore by now" she replied seriously. "After all it did take you long enough" she continued and he smiled. 

"It may have taken even longer if it were not for a certain pirate" he replied, and his eyes held a certain sadness that was not there before.

"Yes good old Jack I wonder what he is doing now?" Elizabeth asked herself out loud. 

"I shouldn't wish to know what he is doing now, as it is probably illegal to even think of it" Will responded with a grin, "Although I would like to know where he is, or at least to know that he is okay" Will responded, his face serious. Elizabeth squeezed his shoulder in comfort. For the first couple of months after their adventures on the Black Pearl they had received the occasional letter form Jack, wildly retelling his adventures, but mainly just to let them know that they were in his thoughts, yet for the last few months they had heard not a peep from their pirate friend, nor the crew of the Black Pearl. Elizabeth herself was now concerned, but refrained from mentioning it to Will, as she didn't want to set him even more on edge. 

"Well I'm sure he's fine, he's probably just finding it hard to get the time to write to us" she reasoned. "Besides if anything had happened to him, everyone would be talking about it, after all he is Captain Jack Sparrow" she told him, quoting Jack's favourite line without even thinking about it. 

"That's what worries me; I mean we haven't heard anything, no tales of them looting or of them raiding any ships, not a word for over two months. I know that Jack's a pirate but he's also my friend, and I can't help worrying about him" Will responded, emotion strong in his voice.

"I know love, I know. I'm worried too, but Jack is tough he knows what he is doing, he could get out of anything" Elizabeth replied, hoping against hope that her words were true. 

"I guess you're right" Will replied with a sigh "It's just that after everything, the just not knowing is killing me. I just want to know if he is alive and okay" Will confided to the woman besides him, and she nodded.

"It's okay Will, Jack is probably just fine, and I promise one day soon you shall see him again" she told him, gently stroking his hair, as both of their thoughts drifted to their friend. 

End Chapter Two

Yep that's right end of chapter two, and time has passed with no word of Jack, where is he? Is he even alive? What has the evil Harry been doing to him? If you want to find out you had better review this chapter and check back tomorrow for part three of the adventure!!


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Wow!! Thank you for the reviews!!! Glad to see you are spreading the word!! As for more Jack? All I can say is good things come to those who wait ;-)

Please keep the reviews coming!!!!

Chapter Three

"Gibbs the crew are getting restless, we really need to tread careful, else we are going to have a mutiny on our hands" Anamaria told the aged pirate beside her.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of calling off the search for Jack?" he asked her incredulously.

"Hell no! Jack didn't stop looking for his Pearl, and his Pearl sure as hell ain't gonna stop looking for him Trouble is it's been nearly three months and not a peep from him, and not a whisper about him. It's as if he's just disappeared. The crew respect Jack, and they want to keep looking for him, but they haven't set foot on firm ground for more than a couple of hours since he went missing ether are rumbles Gibbs, there is no profit and no fun in this path. I think we need to stop for an overnighter let them drink it off or something, then we set off again" Anamaria explained calmly. 

"Aye lass I expect you're right" Gibbs responded, seeing the sense in the woman's words. "Looks like its Port Royal then" he told her, after mentally calculating there position.

"Oh Jack would just love that" she responded, her voice carrying a soft laugh but her eyes reflecting he sadness at the unknown fate of their captain. 

"We';; have to be careful, Norrington would just love to sink the Pearl, especially if he thinks that Jack is on board" Gibbs told his fellow pirate seriously.

"They won't even know we're there" Anamaria responded with a wink, Gibbs shook his head at her words.

"Somehow I can believe it" he replied. He had to admit even to himself, how worried he was for his captain. Jack Sparrow was a pirate legend, a man that half the population wanted to see swing, and the other half wanted to sit down with and hear his wild stories, most of which were laced with truth. To Gibbs he was so much more than that. He thought of Jack as his captain, his friend and as his surrogate son. He loved the man, sure it was a very pirate spirited thing to admit, but after all the crew of the Black Pearl could hardly be accused of being your standard run of the mill pirates. Jack's men hardly ever killed unless strictly necessary. Jack managed to produce cunning and awe inspiring plans, that generally prevented the need to kill any innocent, and even more seemingly impossibly though it was, he generally managed to pull them off. Gibbs shook his head to clear his thoughts, they had to find him, they just had to. He sighed deeply, then made his way to the helm, to steer their way on the new course. 

/////

"Elizabeth let's take a walk to today along the coast?" Will Turner suggested to his girlfriend, as he looked out of his window overlooking the ocean, the sunlight reflecting off the tranquil waters. Elizabeth turned to look at him; she knew all too well that Will had somehow felt the waters calling to him ever since their adventure aboard the pirate's ship. She almost chuckled, she had no fears of his husband to be suddenly becoming a pirate, but she knew that he would on day like to travel with Jack once more; she knew that he always felt linked to the pirate when he was on the water. 

"that sounds like a lovely idea, let me just fetch my shawl" she responded, with a smile, as she took up the crochet like garment and carefully pulled it over her shoulders, then turned back to Will gesturing she was ready to go. Will smiled at her, he knew that she could read him like a book, and for he millionth time he thanked his lucky stars that she reciprocated his love. 

/////

"Okay run up the flag, we want to leave them with no doubt that we don't mean any harm" Anamaria called out to the crew as the Pearl started her approach to the bay near Port Royal. "I don't want any of you drawing attention to yourselves, we'll be no use to the Captain if we end up swinging from the gallows" she continued, keen to emphasise her point. 

/////

The young couple strolled along the cliff tops arm in arm, for once having no fear of what people may be thinking should they see the two of them together, for there was no one around to pass judgement. They stopped and just starred out to sea, lost in the tranquillity of it, that is until their attention was broken by a ship in the distance. Will took a step forward and raised his hand to his head, to try to block out the glare of the sun.

"It's the Pearl!" he stated, his voice half concerned and half excited. 

"Maybe Jack's come to see us instead of writing this time" Elizabeth commented, smiling.

"Or maybe he's in trouble. Jack shouldn't be coming near Port Royal, Norrington will see him hang. Look they are even flying the white flag, something's' wrong" Will commented, and before Elizabeth could draw the breath to reply, he was off and running, heading down the slope towards the water. She hesitated for a second before following, hitching the skirt of her dress up in both hands, she set off at a jog behind him.

"Bloody pirates" she muttered to herself as she carefully manoeuvred the uneven ground, although even she knew that she didn't mean it.

////

Anamaria stood to the port side of the ship looking through her spyglass for any red coats lurking in wait for them. She was seeing nobody that is until she caught sight of two familiar figures running across the shore waving their arms wildly to get their attention. She smiled to herself.

"Will Turner, I should have known" she muttered. She sighed to herself, and then went to find Gibbs to let him know that the Pearl would be having two more passengers.

/////

"Do you think that they saw us?" Will asked the lady stood next to him, his eyes never leaving the sight of the ship.

"They'd have to be blind not to" she responded, with a roll of the eyes, and ignored the look that he sent in her direction, before he turned his attention back to the approaching ship. The Pearl was soon as close as the depth of the water would allow, and Will could tell that the anchor had been dropped. He stood watching, pacing up and down impatiently waiting for news form the ship.

"Will what if he ship has been stolen from Jack?" Elizabeth asked, her fears finally vocalised.

"Well we'll soon find out" he responded, and gestured towards the long boat slowly making its way towards them.

////

Will dashed forward the second the occupants of the small boat disembarked, yet neither of them were who he wanted to see, his gaze rested upon the dark woman in front of him.

"Anamaria, where's Jack?" he asked, his voice heavy with concern. 

"He's not here Will" she replied tiredly.

"What do you mean not here? Why would the Pearl be here without Jack? Don't tell me you've mutinied on him again?" he asked, and his words were only ceased by a sharp slap from the pirate in front of him, he felt his head move at the force behind the blow, and involuntarily took a step back. No wonder jack had said it would have been unluckier to leave the woman behind; she sure had a strong backhand.  

"Firstly I would never ever mutiny on Jack, and secondly WE didn't the first time" she told him angrily, and he raised his hands as if in defence. 

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't I simply opened my mouth before thinking" he apologised sheepishly, and was relieved when she nodded an affirmative. "Where is Jack??" he asked again, and was immediately worried when the woman sighed deeply before replying.

"We don't know, he was taken during a raid over three months ago, we been hunting him ever since, but not a whisper from him" she told them, and Will could see the sadness in her eyes, a depth of emotion that was mirrored in his own. 

"Come on lets go back to the shop, I think you had better fill us in" Elizabeth told the pirate, seeing eth heart break clearly written on her fiancé's face, and knowing that this was probably a conversation better had indoors. Anamaria cast a furtive glance behind her before nodding in agreement.

////

The group of three sat huddled together in eth small Blacksmith shop. Anamaria had just filled them in of the circumstances of Jack's kidnapping.

"So what was the name of the other ship then?" Elizabeth asked the pirate when the silence began to get too much for her.

"It was the White Knight" Anamaria responded, and nearly jumped out of her skin at the speed that young Will Turner leapt to his feet. 

"The White Knight you say? Well there was a ship right here in Port Royal, ailed not two days ago, but that was merchant ship by that name" Will told the woman before him. Anamaria's eyes grew as wide as saucers, as she stared at him. 

"Yes! Yes! That's it! This ship looked like a merchant's ship that's how they tricked us, yet all of the crew were heavily armed and they had firepower chidden in the hold" she told them, new hope rising with the news that they were so little behind their prey. 

"How on earth did they manage to get Jack? I mean he's so very capable" Elizabeth asked the burning question.

"We have no idea, I mean he was probably tired, it had been a long fight, but even tired jack is a good opponent" Anamaria responded. 

"Was he injured?" Will asked softly, almost not wishing to hear the answer, but realisation dawned on the female pirate before him. She cat her mind back to the last time she saw her captain. Yes he did look work and pale, and he was holding himself in an unusual angle. 

"Yes, yes I guess he was" she replied, fiercely blinking back the tears that unexpectedly gathered in her eyes at the realisation. 

"Right, if they only left the port a couple of days a go we can't be that far behind. We shouldn't have too much trouble catching them in the Pearl, after all she is the fastest ship in the Caribbean" Will told them, as he once more got to his feet, a new determination present in him. Anamaria sighed; she had predicted this would happen.

"We can't. I promised the crew a night's rest" she responded, her voice tinged with exhaustion. , yet to her surprise Will simply nodded.

"Okay, not a problem, we shall simply set sail first thing in the morning" he told them, in a voice that allowed no room for argument. Anamaria just stared at him open-mouthed, before grinning broadly, and getting to her feet.

"Yes Will, we shall" she responded, threw a quick sarcastic salute in his direction, then sprinted away into the night back to Jack's ship 

"Are you sure this is a good idea Will?" Elizabeth asked her love, once the other woman was through the door.

"No, but he'd do it for us, in fact he did do it for us" Will responded, and Elizabeth nodded. Yes tomorrow they would go and set off to find their missing friend, and come hell or high water find him they would.

End Chapter Three

Yes that's it for now, check back tomorrow for the return of your favourite pirate and mine Captain Jack!! Please make sure to leave a review if you want to find out what happens next!!


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Once again thank you all for your kind reviews please keep them coming!!!

Chapter Four

As soon as the sun began it's ascent into the blue sky the crew of the Black Pearl were labouring hard, long since away at sail, their energy restored at the renewed hope of retaking their beloved Captain. The newest crew members of the ship, performing whatever unskilled tasks were required of them, not uttering a word of complaint, as they worked relentlessly. Two days passed in much the same manner, moving at full sail intent on catching their foe, never doubting for a second that they would. They ate and slept only when they had to, and an unnecessary word did not pass their mouths as the crew sailed, a tense atmosphere settling over them each man knowing that a battle was on the way, and oh what a battle it promised to be. This time they each knew what the prize would be; no it wouldn't be a ship or merchant goods, no this time it was something far more precious than that. This time it was Captain Jack Sparrow. 

////

Anamaria stood staring out to see through her trusty spyglass, she gasped in surprise when far off in the distance she spotted the ship they had been hunting for the last few days.  Her eyes narrowed to angry slits, before she called the crew together.

"Ye all get us every bit of wind that ye can, our Captain is in sight" she told them, and as soon as they realised what she meant it would have taken a cold day in hell to stop them from pushing the Pearl on the race of her life.

////

The crew watched fascinated as the little dot far off in the horizon gradually got bigger and bigger, until they could all make out the distinctive White Knight before them. By nightfall the pirate ship was barely half a day's sailing behind the smaller ship. Anamaria allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction.

"Hold on Jack eth Pearl's coming to get you" she muttered more to herself than anything, but still with a  grin on her dark face. 

////

Less than two hours later Gibbs was surprised to see that their prey was literally ahead of them dead in the water. He hollered out, and dashed to the helm, where Anamaria stood at the wheel. 

"The White Knight has laid anchor just ahead, we got us a battle to be fought" Gibbs told the female pirate beside him, with a hint of a smile gracing his aged sun kissed face. Anamaria returned the gesture, before dashing off to rally the crew. All at once the pirate ship was frenzy of activity, as men dashed around loading weapons and gathering arms, all more than prepared to fight the battle of their lives. 

////

When the moment came it was almost a disappointment to them all, it all seemed that little bit too easy. The Pearl had silently manoeuvred to rest alongside the smaller ship, and yet no gun fire had headed towards them, when the pirate crew boarded the other ship, half of the occupants were laid out asleep on the deck and the other half seemed too incompetent to do anything about defending their ship.  Anamaria and Gibbs walked on ahead of the group.

"Something ain't right here, this is all seeming too easy" she whispered to the older man besides her.

"Aye lass, I believe ye to be right, I say we hurry and get Jack the hell away from here" he responded, and didn't need to hear to answer to know what it was. The two pirates moved on intent on finding their Captain, they focussed on that single mission that is until they heard the familiar scream of Elizabeth Swan. 

////

The two pirates sprinted the length of the ship to where the sound had come from, only to find Will Turner holding his fiancé in a tender embrace, as she sobbed into his chest. Gibbs looked at the younger man, the question evident in his eyes.

"I'd take a deep breath before you go in there it isn't a pleasant sight" young Turner told the pirate, and Gibbs noted with worry the tears glistening in his eye. The old pirate exchanged a glance with the female besides him, at her nod, he stepped forward and entered the darkened room, Anamaria half a step behind, he looked around searching for whatever had upset the young lady, it wasn't until Anamaria's gasp that his attention was directed to the huddled figure in the corner.

"Jack!" Anamaria had meant to shout, yet it came out as nothing more than an exhalation of air. "What the hell have they done to you?" she asked passed the lump in her throat.

////

End Chapter Four

Yes that is it I am leaving you with a mini cliff hanger! Please review, it does make it seem more worthwhile if ya get reviews!!! Especially since I am in France this weekend, so there will be no updates until probably very late on Sunday night, please give me lots of reviews to come back to?? 


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Well hello there me hearties! Ya mean ya didn't like me little cliffy over the weekend? Sorry guys, but France was great! I hope you appreciate the fact that I have literally just got in and I am typing up about three new chapters at once. I went Euro Disney on Saturday and queued for 40 minutes to go on the PotC ride, but to my disappointment Johnny wasn't stood at the end of the ride waiting for me, I mean talk about crushing me, I was gutted!!

Anyway I suppose you'll be wanting the next chapter then huh? Thank you all for your fantastic reviews; it was a lovely pressie when I got home! Please review this chapter as well?

Chapter Five

"Sweet Mary and Joseph!" Gibbs exclaimed when he saw the sight that had upset Elizabeth so greatly. Before him was the desperate form of their Captain Jack Sparrow, yet he would have been barely recognisable to those that didn't know him well. He hung from the ceiling, suspended only by his wrists; he was in the furthest corner of the dark dank room. Anamaria slowly edges her way forwards, afraid to get too close to the emancipated figure before her. Jack's arms were stretched taut above his head, so that all of his weight was on being held by his shoulders. She could quite clearly see blood flowing down his arms, where the metal shackles dug harshly into his wrists. His head was bowed down to the ground, so that all that was visible to the approaching pirates was the top of his head, still partly covered y his trusty red bandana. Anamaria swallowed back the lump in her throat, her stomach clenching, until she could walk no further, so she stopped in her tracks, still a few paces away from her Captain.

"I can't do it" she whispered, her voice cracking, Gibbs turned to stare at the younger woman, and much to her surprise he simply nodded in understanding, correctly reading the utter fear and sadness in her eyes.

"Aye lass, you go. You go and look after young Miss Swan, but ye make sure you send Will in mind. I'm going to need his help in getting the lad down" Gibbs told her gently, and she smiled at him gratefully, before turning on her heel and practically running from the room, and almost head first into Will and Elizabeth.

"Will, Gibbs wants your help with the Captain" she told the young blacksmith in a clipped tone. Young he may be but Will Turner was no fool, he could see the distress behind her coal black eyes, and he was all too aware that the cool pirate persona was simply the dark woman's defence mechanism kicking in. He nodded mutely, and then gently kissed his fiancée on the cheek before heading off to help his friend. 

////

Will took a very deep breath to compose himself before he was able to enter the small room, yet he made no hesitation to stride across to where Gibbs stood looking up at the young Captain.

"How are we going to get him down?" Will asked, looking up in concern.

"the chain is only looped over the hook from the ceiling, if one of us can get up high enough, the we should simply be able to lift him off" Gibbs responded, his gaze never leaving the still figure of the pirate Captain. 

"Well if we can get someone to kneel down on the floor, and you can support jack's weight from the floor, then I should be able to climb up and lift him down from up there" Will suggested, and Gibbs nodded, seeing little other option, especially since the room was completely devoid of anything the pirates could use to climb up on. 

"Aye, I'll go and fetch one of the lads to help us, you wait here with Jack" Gibbs responded, and was gone in the blink of an eye. Left alone now, Will stepped closer to his friend, and deep sadness washed over him. He was desperate to do something to help his friend, even just to make him more comfortable, yet he was afraid to even touch the older man, for fear of hurting him more, He reached out and gently touched Jack's bare chest, and almost leapt back at the heat radiating from him. Will looked up and saw deep ragged cuts all across the pirate's back, and Will winced, it was obviously that the man had been repeatedly flogged. Jack's torso was black and blue with angry bruises lining his entire body, Will sighed to himself, how he longed to see his friend walking along swaying and making sarcastic comments and speaking his double talk, however he doubted that it would be any day soon. How the man was even drawing breath was beyond Will's comprehension, he had seen men keel over and die from less grievous injuries. Jack looked as though he had hardly been fed during his captivity, his skin harshly tight over his protruding ribs. Will shook his head to himself, all right his friend may be a bit banged up, but as far as Will was concerned he was alive, and for the moment that was all that mattered. 

////

Gibbs returned a short while later, with a large stocky companion in tow, the large man didn't hesitate for a second he just entered the room and silently knelt on the floor near where his Captain hung, to allow the young blacksmith to clamber on his back, as soon as Will was sure that Gibbs was taking Jack's weight he carefully unhooked his friend's arms from the large metal hook on the ceiling, and together the men lowered their friend so that he lay flat on his back on the floor, both perplexed to notice that through all that the man hadn't even stirred, they exchanged a concerned glance, but before they could exchange a word a third party entered the situation.

"Should I carry the Captain back to the Pearl?" the large pirate asked quietly, and Will was just about to rebuke him, when he noticed the deep sincerity in the young man's eyes. 

"Aye lad, you carry the Captain back to his cabin, and I'll see about getting Miss Swan to tend to him. You be careful mind, that a precious cargo you got there" Gibbs responded, and the other pirate nodded, effortlessly scooping his Captain into his arms, and heading straight out of the door. "Jack seems to just force people to be loyal to him, he has complete respect" Gibbs told Will seriously when he caught the puzzled expression on the blacksmith's face. Will simply nodded, he knew Jack well enough to understand. 

"That all went a little too smoothly" Will commented, partly surprised and partly reticent. 

"Aye lad, you're right, I got a feeling the worst is to come" Gibbs responded, and Will couldn't help the shudder that ran through him at the pirate's words, yet he also couldn't deny the truth in them.

End Chapter Five

Okay that's it for that, but as I said I can guarantee updates Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, so be patient, but also please review?? Please?


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Okay once again thank you all very very much for the reviews, please keep them coming??

Chapter Six

"I'll need a basin of warm clean water, some cloths, and some bandages, oh and bring me some rum" Elizabeth instructed Anamaria, desperately trying to keep the panic out of her voice. In front of her, on the bed, lay the desperately wounded form of Captain Jack Sparrow, at this moment he was walking a tightrope between life and death, and it was only Elizabeth's tenuous grip on him that stopped him from falling from it, and the governor's daughter was certainly feeling the responsibility. Anamaria nodded, before dashing off to do as she had been bid, leaving the younger woman alone with her friend. She paused a moment before looking over the beaten form before her.

"Oh Jack, what have they done to you?" she asked, thought her question came as more of a sob, than her usual tone of voice. Before she knew it Anamaria was back, and handing her all the objects she had requested, then the dark woman turned and headed back to the Pearl, unable to bear seeing her Captain in such a sorry state. Left alone once more Elizabeth soaked the cloth in the warm water and set about carefully bathing down her friend, wiping away all of the blood, and taking extra care to ensure that each and every cut and wound was thoroughly cleansed. Once she was satisfied that each wound was clean, she reached over and grabbed the bottle of rum, and poured some over the fresh cloth, before her hand made it halfway towards the cuts she intended on cleaning, her action was paused by a raspy voice.

"Ye wouldn't be thinking of wasting good rum would you Elizabeth?" Jack Sparrow whispered weakly to the young woman beside him. Elizabeth felt her eyes fill with moisture; she was so relieved to hear his voice, granted it lacked its usual vigour, but just to hear him speak caused a grin to make its way across her tired face. 

"Oh Jack! Thank god you are awake!" she exclaimed, and would have hugged him if it were not for his dire condition, her grin faded as soon as he opened his eyes too meet hers, gone was the usual mischievous gleam always present in his dark eyes, and in its place was deep pain and weariness. In the place of the usual kohl smudges were deep shadows and bruises surrounding his usually tanned face. "Jack I need to use this to clean your gashes, to ward off infection, but it is really going to hurt and you may wish you had stayed unconscious" she told him, even noticing herself how unsteady her voice was. He closed his eyes for a second at her words, and when he opened them again they locked on her face.

"Just do it, I trust you to do what needs to be done" he told her, his lack of strength not allowing his voice to raise above a whisper, but the words were enough to yet again cause tears to come to Elizabeth's eyes, she knew how hard it was to genuinely gain the trust of a pirate, but Jack was a different kettle of fish altogether, he had been hurt so badly before by people that he had called friends, that he didn't actually trust another human being, yet here he was giving his trust to Elizabeth. She nodded slightly, and then took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Quickly she began to bath his wounds in the alcohol, trying to work as quickly as possible, Jack's eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and tears escaped from his eyes to roll down his face, and Elizabeth felt her own face getting similarly wet as she realised the deep pain she was inflicting on her friend. Finally she was done, and all that was left for her to do was to bandage the man's torso, which she deftly did. She breathed a sigh of relief when she had tied off the last bandage. 

"I'm sorry Jack I just need to check your head" she told him, and he nodded silently. She carefully removed his trusty bandana, and set about washing the blood from his tangled hair, before tenderly wiping down his face, only pressing lightly to avoid causing him any further pain, her touch was so soft it was as thought she was caressing him, and under her ministrations he gently drifted off into a healing slumber. Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief to notice he had finally given up on his fight of staying awake, and turned her attention to his damaged wrists. She winced in sympathy as both of his hands were swollen and bloody.

"Jack, its for the best that you are sleeping my dear friend, because this is going to hurt" she mumbled more to herself than to her sleeping friend, as she once more pulled over the bottle of rum, and tended to his damaged hands.

////

Gibbs, Will and Anamaria nervously paced up and down outside of Jack's cabin, anxiously awaiting news of their fallen friend. They nearly leapt upon Elizabeth when she finally emerged form the cabin, each of them firing questions at her. She couldn't even hear herself think, let alone decipher their words enough to answer any of their questions. 

"Enough!" she all but yelled, raising her hands at the same time to silence them. "I know you are all concerned about Jack, but I can't answer ten questions at once" she told them, and all three looked at their feet sheepishly, and before any of them could start talking again, Elizabeth continued. "Jack is doing a little bit better. I have cleaned all of his wounds, of whish there are many, but he is raging with fever which we must get to break unless we wish to lose him" she told the,, and they all nodded in acknowledgement. "He did wake up briefly, and he was fairly lucid, but he was also in a lot of pain, and did not have the strength to stay awake for long" she told the,.

"Well that is something in deed!" Gibbs responded "the boy is battling!" he commented proudly. 

"Aye, aye he is" Anamaria agreed softly, before turning her attention back to the other woman stood before her. "Can we see him?" she asked gently, and Elizabeth nodded.

"Yes you can. It might do some good for him to hear your voices" she responded in agreement, yet before the words had left her mouth all three had already gone. "Bloody pirates!" she grumbled to herself, and she still knew that she didn't mean it. 

////

"He looks so pale" Will commented when he set eyes on his friend, more to himself than to any of the other occupants of the room.

"He'll be fine, he's a tough lad is young Jack" Gibbs reassured him. The young blacksmith slowly walked forward to the bed. There must have been at least seven blankets piled up on the pirate Captain as Elizabeth had taken every measure she could think of to fight the fever. Will gently took jack's hand in his own and squeezed, hoping against hope that the pirate may at least be slightly reassured by his presence.

"Jack? Jack can you hear me?" Will asked softly, not really expecting any sort of response from the older man, he was completely amazed when he got one. 

"How many times have I told ye it's Captain Jack, savvy?" the pirate Captain teased his friend weakly, and although his tone lacked its usual jauntiness Will was comforted by the familiarity of his words, and allowed himself a small smile.

"How are you feeling Jack?" Will asked quietly, whilst Elizabeth replaced the cool damp cloth on their friend's forehead.

"Like I've been run over by my own ship" he whispered in response, his words interrupted by a coughing fit wracking his weakened body. Elizabeth and Will exchanged a concerned gaze, for jack to admit that he felt anything less than one hundred percent fine he must be feeling pretty awful. 

"It's okay now Jack, you're safely back on the Pearl, and sailing far away from that godforsaken ship" Anamaria told her Captain, from the other side of the room. Jack nodded slightly before turning his glassy feverish gaze in the direction of his first mate.

"Did you get em all?" he asked, his voice slightly stronger than before.

"Aye Jack lad, we got every last one of them" Gibbs responded, from behind the blacksmith, jack nodded just once before closing his eyes once more, and falling straight back asleep. 

"He seems a bit better now" Will comment, once he was sure that Jack had drifted back off to sleep. 

"Aye lad he does, he's strong" Gibbs responding, squeezing the blacksmith's shoulder as he headed out of the door to take control at the helm, if all he could do to help his Captain was to make sure that his precious Pearl made her way safe, then he would damn well do it.

////

_"Tell me where you hid her?" the rage filled man yelled at his captive._

_"See I would, but I must have been drunk that day, so you see I have plainly forgotten" the smaller man responded, shooting a white and gold grin in the direction of his tormentor, clearly unfazed that at that moment he was dangling from the ceiling by his wrists, viciously tethered by harsh chains._

_"Ah so brave, ain't ya Jack? How about if I let you go and grab young Mr Turner instead huh? Would ye be so brave then?" Harry Birch asked his captive, clearly trying to bait the younger man. Jack determinedly set his face into a mask of nonchalance before replying._

_"Why the hell would I care? I'm a bloody pirate savvy? Jack Sparrow is okay all on his onesies" he told the man before him, almost proud of himself for displaying his usual air of slight insanity. Harry cast an appraising glance over him before responding. _

_"Aye I guess ye are Jack, I guess ye are" he spoke quietly an edge of danger to his voice, then he nodded to the brute of a man who stood just to his left, and jack took a deep breath as he received blow after blow from the man, who eventually then turned to the cat of nine tails and continued to flog the pirate captain time and time again, yet he got no reaction from the man. Jack almost bit through his tongue to keep from crying out, but it worked, he had no intention of them hearing him scream, that was what they wanted. He felt the harsh slap of the whip ends meeting the tender flesh of his back, and knew the damage that was being caused, just as sure as he felt the hot cooper liquid racing down his back as his flesh was torn open, yet no sound left his chapped lips._

"Jack!" Will yelled, as he tried desperately to wake his thrashing friend from whatever terrors were plaguing him in his tortured sleep. Quick as a flash Jack sprang up to a sitting position in his bed, his eyes wide in panic, and frantically searching for someone that was present only in his own mind. 

"Jack" Will repeated quieter this time, but no less forcefully. Finally the pirate rolled his glazed eyes towards his friend, and with a grunt as he finally noticed the pain his position was causing his battered body, he went slack as he fell back against the pillows.

"Jack are you okay?" Will asked softly, once he was sure that the pirate was fully awake. 

"Of course me lad, of course" the pirate Captain responded, his eyes still squeezed shut against the agony pulsing through his veins. Ill looked at him dubiously, and when he realised that Jack couldn't even see his expression he verbalised a response.

"Jack seriously, I need to know how you are doing so that Elizabeth will know whether or not you need a doctor" the young blacksmith told his friend. Jack finally opened his eyes to meet the concerned gaze o the younger man. "Jack its only because we worry about you that I am pestering you. Do you feel up to talking about what happened?" Will asked, and the moment the words left his lips,. He knew he had said the wrong thing. Jacks eyes once more shot open, allowing Will to see the deep black angry orbs of his previously lidded eyes.

"I told you I feel fine, and no I bloody well do not want to talk about anything, especially not to a young whelp like you" the pirate responded his eyes blazing with anger. Will raised both his hands up to show that he meant no harm, desperate not to get his weakened friend too irate. 

"Okay! Okay! You don't have to talk about it, I was only trying to help" Will responded, trying to calm the older man before he caused himself further injury. Jack nodded curtly and once more closed his eyes. Truth be told he didn't think he could talk about it to anyone even if he had wanted to, as he seriously doubted that his mouth would be able to form the words to describe exactly what he had been through. In fact a lot of the memories were still hazy to his muddled mind, although he was pretty sure that the memories would haunt him forever in his dreams. With a sigh he gave up on his quest to feign sleep, and allowed himself to drift off for real. 

////

As soon as he was sure that his friend was once again dead to the World, Will released the breath he hadn't been aware of holding. Jack had scared him a little, with the sheer ferocity of his anger. Will had seen the Captain slightly mad before, but never that angry and he had never been the person that it was aimed at. He hadn't doubted for a second his safety, no he was more afraid for Jack than of him, he was concerned about whatever demons were attacking his friend. He suspected that eh nightmare was a direct result of whatever had occurred during his captivity, he just wished that he knew what exactly had happened to his friend, so that he would know how to help him to vanquish his demons. He sighed to himself again, he would just have to wait until Jack regained some of his strength before he pushed him any harder, but eventually he would get the answers that he sought after. He shook his head to clear his mind of those thoughts, and tenderly changed the cooling cloth on his friend's forehead, and pulled the blankets back up so that they reached the Captain's chin. When he was convinced he had done everything for his friend that he could for the moment, he sat back down and maintained his silent vigil. 

////

Some hours later Anamaria entered her Captain's cabin intent of relieving the blacksmith so he could go and get some much needed sleep.

"How's he been?" she asked the young man softly, so as to not wake her slumbering Captain.

"It's hard to tell really, he is still fighting the fever, but hopefully he should be over the worst of it soon. He woke up earlier, he had had an horrific nightmare, and it took a while to bring him back round, but he when he did wake up he seemed okay, plus he called me a whelp so he can't be too bad off" Will told the older woman, who shot a grateful grin back at him. She took a breath to reply, but before the words were formed she was interrupted by the subject of their discussions.

"Dear William, I really do wish you wouldn't insist on speaking about me as if I wasn't here" Jack cut in, not opening his eyes as he spoke, his voice nothing more than a harsh croak from his dry throat.

"Captain, you really should be sleeping" Anamaria told him gently. "Would you like some water?" she asked, and when her question got no response from the pirate Captain she sighed to herself before filling a small glass with water from the pitcher that Elizabeth had left in the room earlier. She stepped forward and placed one hand on the back of her friend's head and carefully helped him to tilt his head up so that he could drink down some of the cool liquid. "Careful now, don't drink too fast, you'll make yourself sick" she warned him as he thirstily drained the glass. "I'll pour you another glass, if you promise to take this one more slowly, agreed?" she asked him, and he rolled his eyes before nodding, too tired to verbalise an answer. She sighed then helped him to take down half a second glass, his parched lips almost cracking at the effort. Finally when he was done he sagged back against the pillows, totally spent from even that small movement. 

"Are you okay to just wait here a few more minutes, whilst I go and refill this?" Anamaria asked Will as she gestured towards the now almost empty jug, Will nodded his agreement, and she hurried out of the room. When she had gone Will turned his attention back to his friend. He was alarmed to notice that his friend's already overly pale skin, had now taken on an even sicklier pallor. 

"Jack are you okay?" he asked in concern. Jack shook his head, and Will was on his feet, had rolled his friend onto his side and lifted the bucket, in one sharp movement, just in time to avoid a real mess being made, and Jack heavily threw up into the bucket. It continued for what felt like an eternity as painful dry heaves rocked the already weak man's body; eventually Jack laid back against the pillows with a groan, his body drenched in sweat. Will silently began to gently bath the poorly man with a damp cloth, tenderly wiping the sweat from his face and neck, and hoping to cool down the burning pirate. Jack eventually turned a miserable gaze onto his friend, and Will was struck by how young and vulnerable the pirate looked at that moment. 

"There'll be no living with her after this" he mumbled quietly straight faced, as he once more succumbed to the darkness that beckoned him. Will smiled to himself, he felt better when glimpses of the Jack he knew and loved sprung to the surface, and he was glad to see that Jack had understood Anamaria's warning with regards to the water consumption, even if the stubborn pirate hadn't decided to take heed, yet he had certainly learnt his lesson. With a small chuckle Will once more pulled the covers over his friend, and sat back to wait for the female pirate to return. 

End Chapter Six

Yep that's it for now, but it was a long chapter for ya wasn't it?!?!? Should be more tomorrow!


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Hey I did say 'should' be here tomorrow, there wasn't exactly a guarantee, anyway sorry for not posting yesterday I got home from my Tae Kwon Do training later than expected and by the time I got back from taking the dog for a run it was too late! Hopefully this will make it up to you. Please review, please? Just let me save my dignity by not forcing me to completely beg and just review already huh? Go on it just takes a second?????

Chapter Seven

Anamaria sat with her feet resting on the bed alongside her Captain; she watched the steady rise an fall of his chest, as if to reassure herself that he was in fact still alive. He had already made himself sick by drinking water too quickly, and it meant that his fever had once more spiked, his bruised and bloody face now covered in a film of sweat, as his body desperately fought the heat. She sighed to herself and restlessly picked up the leather bound book that lay on the desk beside the bed. Most people thought that pirates were all ignorant and illiterate; well her Captain would certainly prove otherwise, she had never met a more intelligent man before, and she had certainly met many. What made it even more encouraging for her was the fact that Jack never let on just how bright he really was, and how well fed his knowledge was as he continually read whatever he could get his hands on to extend his already extensive knowledge. She chuckled to herself; yep Jack Sparrow certainly was full of surprises. She thought back to the night that Jack had certainly sprung one on her. He had hailed her into the cabin and she had followed thinking he was to go over some plan or other for the next day, but much to her surprise he had sat her down and handed her a book. When she had looked at him blankly he had turned kind eyes on her, and quietly asked her if she would like to learn to read. Anamaria had tears springing to her eyes just at the thoughts of that day, Jack had given her such a precious gift at no profit to himself, he had patiently taught her to read. Sure she still didn't understand nor able to read some of the longer words, but she could get by and that in itself was more than she had ever hoped for. Her thoughts were interrupted by the man stretched out on the bed besides her silently thrashing in his sleep, battling demons visible only to himself.

////

_Jack it so hard on his tongue that he tasted the familiar taste of copper fill his mouth, yet he still did not scream out. He was spread-eagled tied down to a table, like that in a doctor's surgery, the brute who never spoke towered over him, staring down at the irate Captain, and jack knew that at that moment that that image would stay with him for as long as he drew breath. One by one the larger man poked and prodded the pirate with burning metal, holding it against Jack's flesh just long enough for the agony to take hold, but not long enough to allow the man his escape into unconsciousness. _

_"If ya just tell me where you have hidden her I will allow you a quick death" Harry Birch smirked from the other side of the room, his one time friend had managed to withstand a lot of pain in the last week of his captivity, but Harry was all too aware that even Captain Jack Sparrow had his limits, and the man was no good to them dead, still Jack need not know that. "Come on Jack me lad, just tell me now, and we might even let ya go he told the pirate, and they both knew he didn't mean it. Much to his surprise his captive started laughing, not just slightly either, but a full hearty laugh._

_"Harry damn ya, you old fool! How the hell do I even know where she is, I never even met the girl" he responded, his words barely audible through his laughter, with that Harry's eyes turned to pools of darkness as his anger took hold._

_"Finish him, and only stop when he is at death, then slowly bring him back so he will have to suffer" Harry instructed his lackey, his voice icy cold. Jack laughed once more, sure he knew it was just for show, as there was absolutely nothing funny at all with his current situation. That was his last conscience thought as blow after blow rained down on his already battered body, yet he still didn't cry out not outside of his own mind until the blessed darkness once more claimed him. _

_////_

"Jack come on captain! You're scaring me!" Anamaria spoke with a trembling voice as she tried to draw her friend out of his memories. Her concern was growing with every second that he stayed tossing and turning in sleep despite her shaking him quite violently. It wasn't until she saw the blood now soaking through his wrapped torso that took harsh action, and slapped her Captain, hard, across the face. It did the trick, and slowly pain glazed orbs appeared to stare at her.

"Ana?" he questioned in a whisper, his voice so weak she felt her heart break.

"It's okay Jack I'm here, I've got you and you're safe now" she soothed him, tenderly stroking his sweat soaked hair away from his face. He closed his eyes against the images dancing in front of his eyes.

"Sorry love didn't mean ta scare ya. It just seemed so real" he told her, and before she could question him into more information he had once more drifted off to sleep. She continued to stroke his face gently, hoping that the small comfort might allow him to sleep restfully. She sighed to herself, when he was a little stronger Jack Sparrow was going to have some explaining to do , else he really would find out just how unlucky a woman aboard a ship could be, for on the Pearl there were two.

End Chapter Seven

Yes me hearties that's all for this fair night. Thanks again for the reviews, please keep them coming!!!


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Wow thank you all so much for your lovely reviews!! They really do help to encourage your poor lowly author to write that little bit faster!

Anyway I am afraid to say that this chappie isn't particularly long, but longer will follow tomorrow night! Please review though, please cos I am not having a very good week and when I receive your reviews it brings a rare smile to my face!!

Happy B'day Smeagol!!!

Chapter Eight

When Jack next woke up it was with a grunt as his body finally recognised the immense pain pulsing through his battered body. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he noticed the gentle caress against his brow.

"Ana?" he asked softly, barely recognising his own voice. 

"No Jack, its Elizabeth" the woman responded quietly and silently moved from her position beside him, so that she was now sitting in his line of sight.

"Ah the rum burner" he responded, a glint of the familiar Jack Sparrow mischief present in his fever bright eyes. 

"Yes it is I. How are you feeling Jack? I must say you have had us all incredibly worried about you. You have been unconscious for four days, with not even a hint of being alive, except that is for eh frantic tossing and turning as you ran from your demons in your sleep" she told him, and he would have struck back with a harsh retort, had it not been for the clearly evident concern written over her face. "So how are you feeling?" she asked him backtracking to her original question. He took a moment to consider his answer before responding.

"Better" he finally spoke. "More awake" he continued, and as he spoke he painstakingly pulled himself up into a sitting position, and weakly swung his legs over the side of his bed. 

"Just what on Earth do you think you are doing?" Elizabeth asked him, in shock at his attempts to move given his current condition. 

"And here I was thinking that you were a smart lass" Jack responded, with a roll of his eyes. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting up to check on me ship" he told her, his voice still raspy but much stronger than it had been before. 

"Jack do you really think that it's a good idea?" Elizabeth asked him, worriedly stepping back to look at him closely.

"Of course it is! Its my idea ain't it?" he told her, flashing his trademark white and gold grin, and this time it was her turn to roll her eyes at him.

"Okay, but at least wait until Will gets here" she told him, and didn't wait for his response as she marched out of the room. When she had gone he shook his head to himself before carefully leaning down to the floor to pick up his boots and gingerly pull them on. His ribs protested loudly as he bent over, but he was Captain Jack Sparrow, he could sail the seven seas, pillage and plunder, there was no way the simple act of getting dressed would defeat him. 

////

By the time that Elizabeth had returned to the Captain's cabin with her fiancé in tow, Jack was sat on the edge of the bed with a crisp white shirt on, pulled taut over the thick bandages lining his chest, he had also managed to pull his boots on. She looked closely at him, it was obviously that his efforts hadn't come without a price, for her was visibly breathing heavily, plus the fact that his face was now paler than the white shirt and his forehead was coated in a sheen of perspiration. 

"What took you so long? A man could die of old age waiting for you two!" Jack told them huffily, his tired eyes betraying his jocular tone of voice.

"Jack are you sure that this is a good idea? You're obviously exhausted" Will commented noticing the tight pain lines around his friend's eyes. 

"Must we go through this again?" Jack asked, as he reached out a hand to his friend, to enable Will to hoist him to his feet. As son as his weight was pressed down on his previously unused legs Jack felt the World swim around him. His vision danced and his head was spinning, it was only the young blacksmith's hand on his arm that prevented him from crashing down to the floor. 

"Jack? You still with us?" the young man asked gently, noticing his friend's dizziness. Jack seemed to mentally steady himself.

"Aye lad, of course I am. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow savvy?" he responded, his eyes still tightly clamped shut. After a few minutes when his head was only rocking slightly he cautiously opened his eyes. "Where's me bandana and me hat?" he asked the young woman, and Elizabeth chuckled to herself, she should have known that he would miss those items soon enough.

"Here you go Jack, I don't know where your hat is though" she responded, as she handed him his newly cleaned red bandana. Jack pulled his arm away from Will's vice like grip and deftly tied the cloth around his head, biting back a hiss of pain as the material caught on his numerous head wounds, and raising his arms in such a manner caused shockwaves to run through his muscles. 

"Thanks love, now I just need me sword and sash" he continued, his eyes surveying his room as if seeing it for the first time. Will and Elizabeth exchanged a glance, neither one of them quite sure what their friend was up to, he looked as though he was getting ready to go into battle. Will shook his head, and refrained from comment as he silently handed the pirate Captain his weapons. He stood behind his friend in case he needed a steadying hand, but Jack seemed to managed just fine the act f fastening the belt around his trim waist, and then tying the sash. To the untrained eye he would have looked just like the good old infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, yet Will and Elizabeth knew him too well, they could clearly see the pain evident in the expressive brown eyes, and the awkward way that the pirate stood to avoid applying too much pressure to damaged back and ribs. 

"Jack, what exactly are you planning on doing?" Will asked his friend, catching sight of the steely determination on the Captain's face.

"Will my friend, I am going to go and have a word with me crew. We got some treasure to hunt" Jack responded, and his voice had an icy edge to it that Will had never heard from his friend before. He looked across to his fiancée and saw the concern reflected clearly on her face. Still Jack was there friend, and although he was a pirate both knew that he was a good man, and so far he had done nothing to betray their trusts. Still what treasure was the pirate going after, 'there was only way to find out' Will thought to himself and he followed his extremely slow moving friend through the cabin door, and didn't need to look behind him to know that Elizabeth was following. 

End Chapter Eight

What is the treasure Jack is going after?

What is he hiding from his friends?

Who is it that he has supposedly hidden all those years ago?

Who is Harry Birch?

Want to know the answers to these questions then you really need to review this chapter and then read the next!!!


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Thank you all for your kind reviews! I really truly appreciate them! I would respond individually but I know that the vast majority of you just skip through the author's notes anyway so I won't bother. Please keep reading and reviewing, there should be another chapter posted tomorrow evening, so please R+R!!!!

Chapter Nine

Jack staggered unsteadily across the deck of his beloved ship, his gait even more swaying than normal, and he cursed as time and time again he nearly slumped to his knees. It was only his sheer bloody mindedness that kept him upright at all. Finally he made his way safely to the helm of the great ship, breathing a sigh of relief, but not one as loud as that of Will Turner, who had walked closely behind the pirate captain getting ready to catch him if he lost his precarious grip on balance. 

"Ah Gibbs, what course are you heading?" Jack asked his shocked first mate when he finally managed to get as far as the wheel of the great ship. Will gestured at Gibbs with a sharp nod, gesturing for him to just respond and not question what his young Captain was doing out of his sick bed.

"I was heading for Tortugua Captain" Gibbs responded truthfully. Jack nodded deep in thought.

"Aye, that was what I was planning, good very good Gibbs" Jack responded distantly, his eyes staring out to the vast expanse of ocean that lay before him. He breathed deeply, it felt good to be out in the fresh sea air, and not cooped up in his cabin. "You go and get some rest Gibbs, I'll take over now" he told his first mate, the older man looked at him doubtfully before reluctantly nodding knowing it would be fruitless to argue with the stubborn pirate.

"Aye Captain" he replied, and then slowly walked off, still keen to keep an eye on his friend despite his dismissal. As he walks away he exchanged a glance with the young blacksmith, a look that tells a story of the deep concern both men feel for their friend. For despite his protests Jack Sparrow is not okay, and both of them knew the bruises ran far deeper than his ribs. 

////

Jack stood for the entire day just staring out to sea, effortlessly sailing his Pearl, when he was stood at the helm where he belonged, he didn't need to think, he didn't need to feel he just acted as if on auto pilot, barking out automatic commands to his crew, knowing that his wishes would be followed. No one bothered him; they could tell by his demeanour that he would be best left alone. How he was even holding himself upright was a mystery to most of those on board the ship, yet hold himself up he didn't, with the wheel in one hand and his bottle of rum in the other you could almost be forgiven for mistaking this man for the Jack Sparrow of a few months ago, yet if you looked into his eyes you would clearly see the deep rooted sorrow and pain that went down deep into his soul. Jack sighed to himself, he was grateful that he hadn't been bothered all day, he needed to sort his emotions out for himself before he could even begin to explain their quest to the crew, for if he tried now he would crack, and Jack Sparrow had an image to uphold and he didn't want that reputation tarnished by showing emotion. Of course it would be a lot easier if he wasn't continuously haunted by his living nightmare. Every time he stopped for a moment or closed his eyes the torture would creep up on him, and he would be overwhelmed with the feelings of deep isolation and endless desperation that shook him to the core. Jack Sparrow wasn't afraid of very much, and he rarely allowed himself to care for anyone or anything together than himself and his Pearl, yet on a few occasions people had managed to creep underneath his barriers and wheedle their way into his affections and his heart. He shook his head to himself, it wasn't always a good thing to allow yourself to care, for when you cared for someone it gave them a great power over you, a power so strong that it could be enough to break a man. Jack had known that deep hurt and betrayal more times than he cared to mention. Harry Birch had taught him that very important lesson some twelve years ago, he had never felt more bereaved by the loss of another person, but Harry had tried to take something very precious from Jack, and  there was no way that the younger man was going to allow it, so Harry had used force to get his way, and he certainly had got his way. Jack closed his eyes against the memories refusing to go down that path. He laughed a hollow escape of breath. Yep Harry had certainly got one over on him all those years ago, yet he hadn't learnt from it, he had still placed his trust on his crew, and that had allowed the second biggest betrayal of all of his life to occur, namely Barbossa and the now infamous mutiny costing Jack the thing that he loved the second most of anything in his life, the Black Pearl. That time Jack had learnt and for the next ten years he had not trusted a soul, ever giving any more information away than was strictly necessary, only enough to get his own way. He had stoutly refused to let anyone climb in under his defences since that day, that is until he had met William Turner Junior, yes the young blacksmith had certainly had managed to get his way through to Jack, yet part of the pirate still wondered how long it would be until he discovered he had once more misplaced his trust in the young man and his beautiful girlfriend. He almost hated himself for it, yet he had to maintain his sense of self preservation, it was after all what had kept him alive for so long. He shook his head to himself, he was pretty sure that neither Will nor Elizabeth would ever intentionally hurt it, but sometimes it was more the accidental kind that hurt worse. He sighed once more and raised the bottle of rum to his lips, draining the bottle dry. Yes that was the best way for a pirate to numb the pain in his heart, body and mind, drown it under a bottle of rum. He turned around and yelled out to his first mate, and as soon as Gibbs made his way to the helm, Jack relinquished his control of the Pearl to the larger man and headed back to his cabin, intent on making sure he would feel not the slightest ache that night. 

End Chapter Nine

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	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Hey guys! Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews once more! I really appreciate it, please please keep them coming. 

Chapter Ten

"How long has he been like that?" Will asked Anamaria in a hushed tone, gesturing to the pirate Captain currently laid spread out on his bed, an empty bottle of rum resting in his lax hand. The dark woman sighed deeply.

"He passed out about an hour ago, that's the third bottle he drank, and he didn't eat a scrap all day" she replied, her worry clear in her voice.

"He's numbing the pain" Will muttered, almost to himself, yet his tone was still audible to the woman besides him.

"What do you mean?" she asked him sharply. He swung his gaze away from his friend just long enough to look at her.

"He is drinking to numb the pain, whether his wounds are paining him that much or if it is something else completely, but I'd wager my life savings that that was the reason that Jack got so drunk that he is unconscious" Will told her, and Anamaria could do nothing but nod, yes the young blacksmith had certainly grown up. Anamaria sighed to herself and rubbed her face, her own exhaustion catching up with her. "Look you're tired, why don't you go and get some rest, I'll keep watch over jack, and then when he wakes up I suggest that we get some answers from the damned stubborn fool" Will continued when he noticed the dark woman's obvious tiredness. Anamaria reluctantly nodded.

"Okay Will Turner, but I wouldn't hold your breath on getting any answers from the captain, he's tight lipped at the best of time, now its going to be next to impossible" she told him.

"No Miss, Improbable, but not impossible" Will parried with a grin, quoting their favourite pirate Captain. 

////

Will stuck to his word and took up his previously abandoned position in the chair besides his friend's bed. Jack barely stirred in his drink induced coma, which Will guessed correctly was exactly what the pirate had intended when he indulged in so much alcohol that day. He sat there for what felt like an eternity, yet in reality was only a matter of hours, before he saw the first signs of life coming from the bed. The pirate still weakened from the serious injuries he had been recovering from was weakly thrashing around on his bed, the sweat soaked sheets entangling him until he was effectively trapped. It was at that moment that the pirate literally scared about ten years off of the life of his friend, by shooting up bolt upright in his bed, sending the whole of the cabinet next to the bed flying with the force of his movement. Will moved quickly to get beside his friend, and try to calm him. Jack looked around with deep rooted fear present in his eyes, as he had not yet fully woken up.  Eventually he managed to placate the older man enough to settle him back in his bed.

"Jack, I think you and me need to have a little talk" Will told his friend, determined that this time the pirate would not get away without talking.

"I told ya whelp, I ain't got nothing to say to ya" Jack responded, his eyes closed against the pain. 

"Oh but Jack you have. This is killing you, please let me help you" Will asked of his friend, not regretting the begging tone in his voice for an instant. 

"Will leave it" Jack replied, his voice tightly controlled, yet still carrying a tinge of anger and frustration.

"Jack tell me what the hell happened Will ordered angrily himself, his worry and concern fro his friend, was making him angry at the captain, everybody knew that Jack was far from all right, yet the man refused to open up about what had happened. "At least explain to me who the man was that took you, and why?" Will reasoned and Jack sighed dramatically.

"You're just like you're bloody father, he never knew when to give in either" Jack complained, yet the anger was now gone from his voice. "Okay I'll tell ya since it's the only way I'm going to be getting any peace around here" he commented, then his eyes seemed to get lost in a distant memory as they glazed over and the pirate stared at a spot just behind William. The young blacksmith made himself comfortable in the chair and sat back to listen to what he knew would be a very important tale.

"I first met this man called Gharry birch some twenty years ago, at the time I was just working whatever ship would take me on. I met him at the docks in Port Maria, he was helping to stock up some merchant ship or other, and he spotted me just walking past. He offered me some money to help him, so obviously I did. I wasn't quite so distinctive in me appearance back then so he probably didn't even know that I was a pirate or if he did he didn't care. Anyway I helped him for the best part of an afternoon, and then he offered to buy me a drink. Now I was only  a lad at the time so I wasn't quite so familiar with me rum then, so when he bought me a whole bottle and handed me a purse full of coins for me work obviously I thought all of me Christmases had come at once. Being a pirate as I am I didn't get too attached to old Harry and the next day I joined the crew of the Black pearl and off we went. It wasn't until over a year later that I next saw Harry. I was still one me Pearl, and we made port at Tortuga, see we had just been on a raid and the lady was damaged, so we had to get some stuff to fix her up" Jack told hi younger friend, Will sat back still listening intently, it was rare that anyone managed to get the pirate Captain to open up so much, so when he did you had to make sure you took in every last details because there was no chance of repetition. Jack was so lost in his memories, and Will so caught up in the tale that neither man noticed the lone dark figure of Anamaria enter the cabin as silent as the grave, nor as she stood there listening to her Captain's story. "That was when I saw him, he was doing pretty much what he was doing before just making his living stocking up the ships, anyway I went across to see him, and he knew me straight away, took me for a drink he did. He got quiet drunk being as he couldn't really take his rum" Jack told his audience withy a wistful grin. "He started telling me about himself, turned out that old Harry had a family, a loving wife and a daughter about my age, that was what he was doing in Tortuga, trying to earn enough money to move them somewhere decent so that his daughter would be safe from eth pirates and such lie, it was then that I realised that Harry hadn't realised what I did for me earnings, dozy sod obviously hadn't heard the reputation of the Pearl, either that or he hadn't put two and two together, anyway not wishing to split up this new friendship I chose not to enlighten the man. I can tell you I later regretted that decision" the pirate told them distantly, his voice growing slurred as he struggled to stay awake. Will sighed to himself, as much as he desperately wanted to hear the remainder of the tale he knew that Jack would not last much longer, he was still sick from his injuries and the fever still run through his veins, plus the amount of rum the pirate had consumed wouldn't be helping maters.

"You go to sleep now Jack, we'll continue this in the morning" Will told his friend softly, before tenderly pulling the covers up to cover the slight man, he got no response from his friend as sleep had already claimed him. Will shook his head to himself; he only hoped that the Captain would be in a talkative mood the next day. Finally Anamaria stepped out of the shadows.

"How the hell did you get him talking?" she asked him in awe.

"It was easy I simply nagged until he couldn't take anymore" Will told her with a glint of mischief in his eyes. She rolled her eyes in response.

"Aye, well I think you will have a lot more nagging to do before this voyage is through" she told him, and he couldn't help but agree with her.

End Chapter Ten

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	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Thank you once again for your kind words of encouragement, please keep them coming as my tale develops!

Chapter Eleven

Will Turner woke up with a start. He looked around to gather his bearings and noticed that he was still sat in the uncomfortable hard backed chair in his friend's cabin, when he looked closely he noticed that aid friend was not tucked up in bed like he was supposed to me. Will uttered a curse before getting to is feet and heading off to find the errant Captain. He hadn't intended falling asleep in the first place, but he guessed that the worry and concern for his friend that had surrounded him for the last months had finally caught up with him and forced him into an exhausted slumber. He hastened his pace and headed out on deck where he didn't need to look very far to find his friend.

"Jack?" he questioned quietly.

"Morning whelp" Jack responded, his eyes never living the ocean in front of them. 

"How are you feeling?" Will asked softly.

"Sick and tired of hearing people ask that bloody question" Jack responded, his gaze now locked onto the younger man, with a blaze of anger running through the brown orbs. Will stood to his full height, refusing to be intimidated by his friend.

"If people keep asking you that question, it is for the simple reason that they care about you Jack" he told his friend firmly.

"Why the hell would anyone care about the likes of Captain Jack?" the pirate asked softly, Will almost gasped in shock at the man's words, oh yes he definitely needed to have a chat with Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Jack, people do care about you. They care because you area good pirate and a good man. I care because you are my friend, and I always got told that when your friends were suffering you should help them in any way possible" Will reasoned, but Jack's anger flared further. He abruptly turned so he was fully facing the blacksmith.

"It's time you learnt that I ain't your friend. I'm a bloody pirate, I ain't no ones friend, and I ain't good for no one savvy?" he seethed coldly before turning on his heel and walking away much faster than a man in his condition should have been able. Will shook his head to himself shocked at the older man's words.

"Jack, what on earth is wrong with you?" he asked to himself under his breath, whatever had happened to his friend was obviously affecting him far more than any of them had realised before. 

////

Will allowed the older man most of the day to calm down, it seemed that other members of the crew had had similar run ins with their Captain, and most of them were simply trying to stay out of Jack's way for fear of facing their captain's wrath. Anamaria, however, held no such fear. She kept a careful eye on him for the entire day, Will had already told her about his earlier conversation and she was just as concerned as he was. 

Anamaria took a deep breath before approaching her Captain, he stood once more at the helm of his treasured ship, yet it was not him that was at the wheel, he was merely starring out to sea as if lost in thought. 

"Captain?" she prompted him, more to gain his attention, than for any expected response. Slowly he turned his face towards hers, as if struggling to take his attention away from the depths of the sea beneath. "Jack, are you okay?" she asked him, and she could see as well as hear his sigh in exasperation.

"As I told the whelp this morning, I'd be a lot better if people didn't keep asking me that stupid question" he responded, yet he did not raise his voice, in fact his voice was very calm and even and somehow seemed more dangerous than if he had shouted. Anamaria closed her eyes against the pain she saw radiating from her Captain, sure he hid it well, but Anamaria had known the man for a very long time and there was no fooling her. Slowly she stepped forward and gently placed her hand against her Captain's arm, and she clearly felt the heat radiating from his fevered body.

"Captain, what you said to Will earlier hurt the boy. He knows that you are hurting and that you probably didn't mean what you said, but he is worried about you. Like it or not Jack we are your friends and we care about you for that very good reason, and pushing us away isn't going to lessen your pain any, it will just intensify it as you try to handle this on your own" Anamaria told her friend very softly, he closed his eyes against her words.

"I can look after meself, I do just fine on my onesies" he responded, his tone weary as if he was exhausted, which Anamaria surmised he most probably was.

"Ok if you don't feel the need to share, if Captain Jack is just fine on his own, what about those that care for you huh? I mean why can't you be open for them?" she asked him, her tone slightly curious and slightly begging. He winced at her words.

"You should try not to care for me" he whispered almost imperceptibly. She stepped closer and held both of his hands in hers, trying to prevent his imminent escape.

"Why the hell shouldn't we care for you? Jack I will say this only once and then we both forget that these words were ever spoken. We care because you are smart, you are loyal and you are brave. You are more of a man than any other I have ever met, and we all love you for it" she told him her voice choking as she spoke. He looked up to her and his face was set in a passive mask, silently he ran his hand down her face in a gentle caress, then seemed to compose himself before he could respond.

"No love, I ain't none of those things. I'm a pirate quite simply just a pirate. The lot of you will do good to remember that. And whilst you're at it remember this, any notions of caring about said pirate Captain will only get you killed" he told her, before turning on his heels and walking away leaving a very shocked female pirate behind in his wake. His words felt as though she had been punched in the gut, she had never known her friend so low in all of the years that she had known him, but it wasn't even the words that left her feeling so afraid, it was the soul deep sorrow and burning pain that was evident in his eyes. But even more than that it was the tears streaming down his face, Captain Jack Sparrow was crying, whether it be because of what was done to him or what had happened she didn't know, but he was crying, and Captain Jack never cried. Her resolve now even more intensified she wiped the tears away from her own face and went off to find the young blacksmith and his fiancée, for they were going to attack en masse and finally get some answers from the stubborn mule of a pirate Captain.

End Chapter Eleven

Yes that's all for now! Although you may get Chapter Twelve earlier than expected, so make sure to check back soon1

Please R+R


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Thank you for your lovely reviews, you really are too kind!

Chapter Twelve

Anamaria had soon rounded up her troops, and the small group of four headed straight into the Captain's cabin without raising a hand to knock and without calling out their presence. Jack's head shot up upon their entrance, yet he was not totally surprised, he had seen this coming, and a small part of him was touched at their concern for him, yet the rest of him desperately wanted them to go away before they got hurt.  Jack did not seem the least bit surprised by the intrusion, and somehow that angered Anamaria further. She moved forwards towards her Captain, with Gibbs, Elizabeth and Will trailing behind.

"What do you think you are doing?" Jack asked them as he got to his feet, trying unsuccessfully to mask the wince of the pain that he action brought. Anamaria was just about to respond to his question in the most sarcastic tone she could conjure up, when she was interrupted by another voice. 

"You know why we are here Jack. Yesterday you and I struck an accord that you would complete your story today. Now I know that you don't wish to impugn your honour by you reneging on that agreement now do you?" Will told the pirate boldly, his one leaving no opportunity for argument, Anamaria had to stifle a laugh at the young blacksmith. 

"Aye lad, ye know Ole Jack doesn't break his word, however I don't seem to have any recollection of another three parties being privy to promised conversation" Jack responded, his face unreadable, at this reluctant agreement, Will stepped forward.

"They are here simply because it save my breath and a lot of time if I don't have the need to relay whatever information I get from you" Will responded, and Anamaria had to stop herself from laughing out loud at his brazen response. Will did notice the sides of Jack's mouths turn up slightly as he fought the urge to smile at the lads words, he then shocked the other occupants of the room, by flopping down on to his bed, too exhausted to persist in an argument he knew he would never win.

"Aye lad, you win" he told them tiredly, and most unlike Captain Jack Sparrow. Will took his usual position, in the chair besides the Captain's bed, Anamaria perched beside her friend and Gibbs lurked in eth shadows in the darkest corner of the room. Elizabeth sighed to herself, unnerved by her friend's acceptance of his fate, but nonetheless keen to hear the tale that he was about to share with them. Trying to get any actual information from Jack Sparrow about himself was like drawing blood from a stone, for a man who was continually talking, Jack said very little. Elizabeth looked around, and unable to see any further chairs in eth room, she sat down besides the other female, and held back on speaking, just waiting to hear the familiar dulcet tones of Captain Jack 

"Now I am only telling you all this to shut you up. Your nagging is giving me a headache" he told them before settling back against the pillows, his eyes taking on the glazed look as he seemed lost in thought, the room was silent as each person held their breath in anticipation of their friend's words. Finally Jack took a deep breath then began to speak. "As I told you, Harry Birch was one of the few men that I would call a friend. Aye only him and William Turner" he told them. "William knew me for what I was, he knew of me ways, and he never judges me for them. Hell its not like he could given he shared the same ways as me. Harry was different, he despised pirates and everything that they stood for, yet he loved me. He thought I just worked around the merchant ships, and I never corrected him on that. See old Harry had always wanted a son, he was blessed by two beautiful girls, but all he wanted was a lad to call his own. I guess he saw in me the son he never had, and in him I saw the father that I had barely known. He always looked out for me, gave me somewhere to stay, some hot food and a bottle of rum every time I was in port. I wanted more than anything for him to know the truth and to love me for what I really was, but I knew that if I ever told him he'd be so disappointed in me, so I kept stchom. That's right me Captain Jack actually cared about someone's opinion, you'd never of believed it huh?" he asked them, exhaling in a humourless laugh, still lost in his memories of the past. No one responded, as no one wished to interrupt his train of speech. "Anyway his youngest daughter was my age, and we began to see quite a lot of each other, we hung out a lot along with her sister we grew close. They both knew I was a pirate and neither of em cared, said that it wasn't how I got my money that made man, but what was inside. I had never been accepted like that before. It was great. I knew straight away that I was falling for their charms, but Emma, the youngest, she was different. She wasn't like any woman I had ever known; she was so gentle and caring. She is the only person that has ever really known me, and she loved me regardless." Jack told them, and didn't acknowledge the collective gasp that filled the room, none of them had been expecting this. Jack paid no heed to their response, he simply carried on with his story. "Anyway a few months later one of the crew came wondering around town, looking for me. We were to set sail earlier than planned, some sort of plunder the Captain had caught word of. It turns out he bumped into old Harry, and having seen us talking he assumes that Harry would know where I was. Obviously this gave Harry a strong hint as to my occupation. E made it perfectly clear his feelings on the subject. He went crazy totally mad. He wrecked the entire house, and took his anger out on Vicky and Emma, well I wans't having it I jumped in there, he then turned his attention on to me. It wasn't pleasant what he did, but I don't regret it for an instant. Anyway I skipped town as soon as I could, and never returned. Until recently I hadn't seen Harry since that day" Jack told them, and as the words left his mouth he got to his feet and began to head towards the door.

"So why is he coming after you after all of this time?" Will's question halted the pirate dead in his unsteady tracks.

"Because he has got words that I took something precious of his" Jack replied quietly.

"What does he think that you took?" Elizabeth asked, voicing the question that everyone had wanted to ask. 

"His daughter" Jack responded, his voice so quiet that they had to strain to hear it, he then continued his way out of the room leaving behind four shocked friends and a lot of unanswered questions.

End Chapter Twelve

Well I guess that they aren't the only ones with unanswered questions huh?

Sorry that this was a little bit later today, but I have got an examination in Tae Kwon Do tomorrow night, so I have been training all night!

Should be more tomorrow.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Well I wasn't going to post tonight since I didn't get a lot of response about last nights chapter, but I thought I'd be generous and post regardless, please review this chapter for me???

Chapter Thirteen

Jack walked away from his claustrophobic cabin as quickly as he battered body would allow. He eventually came to a stop at the furthest railing on his ship; he leant against it and looked out to sea, grateful for the support it offered him in his weakened state. His mind was lost in a swirl of emotions that he as struggling to keep at bay. His run in with his old friend had brought back a lot of painful reminders of things he would rather have forgotten. The loss and pain of his younger years came back to hit him tenfold, those years were what captain Jack Sparrow had long since suppressed, more than willing to not dwell on things long since past. His long standing resolve was now crumbling around him, and he had given up far more information to his friend than he had ever intended. He sighed and rubbed his hands across his tired face, it was truly difficult to say what emotions Harry's return had brought to the surface for the pirate Captain. Jack was a strong man, yet when with Harry he felt weak. Jack was a proud man, yet around Harry he felt ashamed of his actions and of what he had become. He hated the way that Harry made him feel, but a part of him still loved the man. Harry was pretty much the only father figure that Jack had ever really known, his own father hadn't been around very much and when he had been he ruled Jack with cold words and an iron fist. Harry had been different, he had never been afraid to offer a word of comfort to the young Sparrow, he had fed him when he was hungry, nursed him when he was ill or wounded and always given him a bed when he was in port. He had cared about Jack's opinions and honoured his wishes. Harry had even been happy when Jack had started seeing his youngest daughter, going to the extent of describing it as a match made in heaven. Jack had never been happier than the day that Harry had granted him permission to request Emma's hand in marriage, yes during those days Jack had felt like he had it all. He was first mate of the most feared pirate ship in the Caribbean and he was set to marry a beautiful maiden thus inheriting the family he had always wanted. It was shortly after that, that all of Jack's dreams had been shattered, and his World was changed for forever. He had always been unsure as to quite how Harry would react should he find out his surrogate's son chosen occupation, but never in a million years would he have guessed on the course of action the older man deemed to take. It all happened late one evening, the Captain of the Pearl had got World of a generous plunder, and the ship was setting sail earlier than expected, he had sent some of the crew in the port, and those previously left behind were sent to round them up. One of the crew knew of Jack's relationship with the Birch family, and thus asked Harry if he had seen Jack. Realisation had dawned on Harry immediately. Jack bit past the lump that rose in his throat at the thought. How could he have been so wrong about the man? It was only when he was safely back aboard the pearl al those years ago that he had come to the realisation that Harry was never the man he had thought him to be, in fact Jack had never known him at all. Yes from that moment on Jack Sparrow had come to the educated realisation that he was in fact far better off all on his onesies. Jack sighed to himself, dragging his mind away form the hurtful memories, just in time to hear footsteps heading his way from behind him, he whirled around to come face t face with young William Turner. 

"Whelp I honoured our accord, what more do you want from me?" Jack asked his voice low in exasperation. Will sighed and leant against the railing besides the Captain.

"I just want to apologise Jack. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push" Will told his friend softly. He had realised how much pain he had inadvertently caused his friend. Whilst he didn't totally regret the conversation as he felt that he needed to know what was going on with his friend, plus it gave him a couple more pieces to the puzzle that formed captain Jack Sparrow, he did regret the deep long standing hurt that was clearly evident on his friend's face no matter how hard Jack tried to hide it. His words spoken, Will silently turned on his heel and slowly walked away leaving the older man to his solitude and thoughts. Jack smiled lightly to himself, surprised by his friend's words and by his quick departure, but nonetheless he was grateful fro both. 

////

"Will? Where have you been?" Elizabeth asked her husband to be when he finally made his way to the galley to eat with the rest of the crew.

"I was just talking to Jack" he told her, and when he didn't elaborate she rolled her eyes at him before prompting him further.

"And? Is he okay?" she asked, her own concern causing a sharp tone to her voice.

"I don't know, he's hurting I know that, and not just from his injuries. I think that there is much more to his story than he has let one , I want to know more, but he is still weakened so I don't wish to push him too hard" Will responded, talking more to himself than to the young lady besides him. Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm, maybe I shall have a word with him tomorrow. Is he coming to eat?" she responded.

"No last I saw him he was walking back to the helm, so I assume that he is taking control of his ship" Will responded, his tone full of mirth and his eyes sparkled. Sure he had left the Captain to his own thoughts but that wasn't to say that he hadn't watched him from a distance, until he was sure that the older man had managed to shake some of his deep rooted gloom off, and finally walk from under the dark clouds that hung over his head, waiting for the opportunity to rain upon him. Elizabeth however did not know this, nor was she going to , she simply took his answer for what it was and the two ate the rest of their meal in silence.

End Chapter Thirteen

More tomorrow, and it will be much longer depending on how many reviews I receive for this chapter!!! Please R+R!!!!!!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Wow! Thank you all for your kind reviews, you really are too good to me!! Please keep them coming, as your kind words have truly made my Easter.

Chapter Fourteen

Jack spent the entire day stood at the helm; it was how he was at his most comfortable. His beloved ship truly was the love of his life, that is except for Emma Birch, but he had long since acknowledged her fate, even though he had never truly accepted her death, he did know that she was gone. The Captain shook his head intent on clearly his darkening thoughts. He looked out across the ocean before him, the bright evening sun was reflecting off the water, and it never ceased to amaze Jack just how breathtaking that view was. He had seen it millions of times before yet he never got tired of it. That to him was part of the freedom of his ship, the freedom to forget what you choose and to truly see what was in front of you, the beauty of the simple things in life. 

////

"I'm going to go and talk to him" Elizabeth told her husband to be. Will, knowing better than to argue with his stubborn fiancée when she had her mind set on something, simply nodded.

"Okay dear, just don't push him too hard" he told her gently as he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She smiled, lightly surprised by his easy agreement, then made her way towards the pirate Captain determined to help her friend. 

////

Jack sighed deeply and rolled his eyes at the sound of the approaching footsteps behind him. From the light tread he took it to be a woman coming up, which meant it was most likely Elizabeth. He tutted to himself, then grinned slightly.

"Miss Swan you really shouldn't sneak up on a pirate on his ship you know, could cause a nasty accident" he called out to her not looking back, he smiled a satisfied grin at her gasp of surprise, yet let no other reaction show. 

"It's hardly sneaking up if you heard me coming is it?" she responded when she had collected herself, and stood beside him. Jack laughed lightly.

"Aye I guess you're right here Miss Swan" he told her. She smiled in response, pleased to see some of the cloud lifting from above him.

"Really I think you have earnt the right to call me Elizabeth now Jack" she told him, and he nodded, yet offered no further response. "Jack I really want to talk to you" she told him, and finally he turned his dark gaze in her direction.

"You never usually wait for permission before talking a man into submission" he replied flippantly. She refrained from responding to his sarcastic answer, so instead ploughed on in her self appointed mission.

"Jack, what happened between you and Harry Birch's daughter?" she asked him cutting straight to the chase. He sighed a long suffering sigh before replying tiredly.

"I already told ya love. We had a bit of a thing, Harry found out about me way of life went barmy and I split out of town end of story" he told her, his eyes firmly fixed back on the sea. 

"Yes I know that, but what became of her?" she prompted, and Jack's gaze drifted down to his feet and his eyes filled with emotions he had not intention of sharing with the young lady who insisted on nagging him incessantly. 

"Why do you want to know?" he asked her finally, his voice quiet. Elizabeth hesitated for a moment before answering, well aware that her answer could make a huge difference to the direction the conversation took and the eventual outcome. 

"I want to know because it is obvious that something occurred that hurt you deeply, and still pains you now to some degree. She seems to have meant a great deal to you. You are my friend jack, yet I hardly know anything about you before Port Royale, other than what I read in books. The books only tell me about what you have done, they don't tell me about who you are Jack. I know you are a kind person, no matter how hard you try to hide it. I also know that you do care for others, and you do feel emotions just like the rest of us, yet for some reason you have built this huge wall up around yourself and refuse to let anyone break through, oh sure you occasionally let somebody peep over the top for a second or two, but that is it. Just explain to me why that is Jack?" Elizabeth asked her friend, trying to keep the pleading tone out of her voice. Jack sighed deeply and rubbed his hand over his bruised face, drawing the woman's attention to his still healing wounds, she winced in sympathy knowing that most men would still be laid up in bed even with half of the injuries the pirate Captain had sustained, yet he was back on his feet and running a pirate ship within days. Jack stood in silence for a long time, and for a while Elizabeth was concerned that she had in fact pushed him too far, and alienated the pirate to such an extent that he wouldn't even brush her question off. 

"It's quite simple lassie. The less people know about you the less leverage they have got against you. The less information they have on you the less ammunition they have got" Jack told her, his voice so quiet she strained to hear it. 

"Even your friends?" she asked trying to keep the hurt tone from her voice.

"Aye lass, even your friends. A friend's betrayal hurts far worse than any bullet or blade" he told her seriously. "You just remember that Barbossa was me mate" he continued, and she nodded understanding. It was true that Jack had been badly hurt by his friends before, and she could perfectly understand why Jack would be loath to trust people and be forthcoming with information, but surely she and Will had earnt his trust by now?

"Are you saying that you don't trust us?" she asked him the hurt written all over his face. Jack sighed again, before replying.

"Of course I trust you and the whelp, but you gotta remember that sometime sits hard to remember that I trust you, and break out of me habits he told her with a slight grin, and Elizabeth nodded, and before she could respond Jack continued. "So what does any of this got to do with Emma?" he asked her, relinquishing his hold of the wheel to Gibbs who had stood nearby waiting to relieve his Captain. Together the pirate Captain and the governor's daughter slowly walked down towards the port side railings. 

"Well you let her over the wall, she must have been a very special person, I just wanted to know more about her, by knowing her I think I would know you better" Elizabeth told him honestly. Jack nodded deep in thought.

"Aye, aye that she was. Far too special for me. She deserved and could of done far better than the likes of me. Yet it was me that she chose, said that she loved me for what I could be, not for what I was. She always said that one day I would be the Captain of my own ship, and be the best pirate in the World" he told her as he once more got lost in his own memories, his voice turning into a shadow of his usually vibrant tones. "I had never known a woman like her. She truly loved me; you could see it in her eyes. I would have given everything up for her, I offered to, yet that wasn't what she wanted. She said that she loved me, and she knew that I loved her; there was no need for me to prove it to her with a meaningless sacrifice. That was just how Emma was so unassuming and kind. She was so angry when she found out one of the crew had told old Harry about me occupation, I thought she was going to kill, she probably would of eventually too, if she'd ever been given the chance.  I told ya that Harry went mad, well he came looking for us, the three of us were in their summer house having some rum and just talking and that. Victoria and Emma were always so interested in my stories, loved to hear about our adventures on the ship and that, it was half way through one such tale when Harry came storming in. He grabbed me by me neck and dragged me outside, I was on the floor and receiving the beating of me life before I had time to draw breath. I didn't think he was going to stop, he just kept kicking at me, until the girls flew at him. I mean it was their own father yet for some reason they defended me the pair of em just dragged him off me. I couldn't believe it. Even then a part of me was so happy because they loved me, one as a sister and one as a lover, yet they truly loved me, then the other part of me was screaming at em to stop, they were going to lose their father because of me and old Jack Sparrow wasn't worth it. Yet I couldn't move I just froze." He told Elizabeth his voice shaking as his tale developed. When he made no move to continue she moved closer and took his hand in her own. 

"What happened Jack?" she asked gently, determined to hear the conclusion of his tale. 

"I don't remember too much, all I could hear were screams and cursing from the three of them. Eventually I managed to drag myself to my feet and move towards the direction of the sound. And to this day I wish that I either had got there just a few moments sooner, or not moved at all. For as I stood there Harry held a pistol to the head of my beautiful, angelic wife to be" he choked out, his words coming more as a sob.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked, her words catching in her throat. 

"The next I knew I woke up on the black pearl, my whole body covered in blood, and one massive ache. I looked up and saw this beautiful woman looming over me tending my wounds. I remember clearly that I smiled, at that moment everything seemed right in the world. Then when my vision cleared a little I saw the tears in her eyes, I asked her if I was dead, and she told me no I was very much alive just hurt. I closed my eyes and then it dawned on me, it was Victoria that was tending me, I sat up in my bunk and nearly keeled over with pain, but it didn't stop me. I grabbed the poor girl hard, around the tops of her arms, and asked where Emma was. She sort of just sagged against me, like she was so consumed in sorrow that she couldn't even stand. It was only after she had calmed down that I had got any sense out of her, and the memory returned to em" Jack told the young woman, and when he didn't elaborate further Elizabeth squeezed his hand.

"What memory?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper.

"The memory that made me wish I was dead. The memory of Harry pulling the trigger. The memory of Emma's beautiful face being completely ruined and the blood everywhere" he told her, his voice so calm and controlled that Elizabeth knew he was about to snap, before she could offer any words of comfort Jack harshly pulled his hands from her grip and stumbled to his feet. "So now you know, are you satisfied?" he asked her, and made his way back to his cabin blinded by his own tears. When he had gone Elizabeth let her own tears fall, whether she cried for the poor girl killed by the hand of her own father, or for the pirate Captain who had never truly recovered from the loss of his one true love and who had chosen to never let another human being capture his heart again for the risk of feeling the same apian again, she didn't know. She simply cried because that was the only thing she could do as his words echoed through her mind

"No Jack I am not satisfied" she whispered to the retreating form of her friend.

End Chapter Fourteen.

And that's that! Honestly there will be more action later I promise!  Please review and let me know what you think????


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Hey guys thanks again for all of your reviews! I promise that on the final chapter of this story (which is a long way off!) I will thank you all individually. Hey before you read this new chapter check out my other story that I posted today, it acts as a prequel of sorts to this story and I'd love to know what you all think of it!

Anyway Please R+R guys!

Chapter Fifteen

"So she dies right in front of his eyes?" Will asked his fiancée as she relayed the tale that Jack had told her earlier, she nodded, and Will cursed under his breath. This was even worse than he had imagined. He knew that his friend had a lot of skeletons in his closet, but he could never have thought of something as painful as watching the woman you love murdered by her own father, a man that had almost been a father to him. He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face suddenly feeling very old and tired.  "What are we going to do?" Will asked the young woman, yet before she could answer frantic cries interrupted them.

"Sail ahoy, get the Captain on deck" a voice hollered from behind him, and in the next few moments the ship was a frenzy of activity, and Will and Elizabeth were somehow lost in the chaos. When Will managed to get his bearings amongst the milling of pirates he grabbed Elizabeth's hand and all but dragged her up to the helm where he was sure he would find Jack. He was not disappointed as his guess proved to be correct, he found the pirate captain peering through his spyglass at a ship off into the distance.

"Well Captain should we load the cannons?" Gibbs asked his Captain, almost looking forward to a good fight. Jack nodded curtly and Gibbs went off to rally the troops, whilst Jack once more lifting the spyglass to his eye.

"Looks like your good friend Norrington has come looking for you" Jack spoke quietly and deliberately his eye never leaving eh approaching ship, and in no other way acknowledging his guest's presence.

"It's a navy ship?" Will asked surprised.

"Aye that it is Whelp, the Dauntless herself" Jack responded, looking towards Will and Elizabeth for the first time.

"And yet you are still preparing for battle? Jack you can't really be planning on firing at Norrington?" Elizabeth asked in surprise, she was under the impression and Jack and the commodore had come to some sort of uneasy accord after the events in Port Royale, where the commodore had all but let the pirate go. 

"I didn't say I was gonna attack him did I. Somehow I don't think that James and the bys are coming for a dinner party and Captain Jack Sparrow likes to be prepared savvy?" he asked her, his voice barely concealing his impatience at her doubting him, she nodded contritely and once more regretted her harsh words. She should have known that Jack would not launch an unprovoked attack on the navy vessel but once more she had spoken before she had thought her words through. She sighed to herself.

"Sorry Jack I should have known" she told him quietly, and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she meant it. He nodded shortly.

"Aye lass you should have" he replied, and then turned away from her, still feeling far too vulnerable after their conversation of that evening. "You there, run up the white flag, make sure they know we mean no harm" Jack yelled to one of his newer crew members, who did as he was bid. The crew stood silently n deck waiting o fight if fired upon, the tension was thick as everybody waited to see what the navy wanted with the pirate vessel, as it turned out they didn't have to wait for very long, the dauntless ran up the British colours and a white flag, much to Jack's surprise it obviously wasn't the commodore's intention to get a pair of boots for the gallows. The two ships anchored side by side in the vast expanse of ocean and yet nobody made a move. Eventually Jack could take no more and with a roll of his eyes stepped forward.

"Commodore me lad, how lovely to see you. Just what exactly can this humble ship do for ye?" he hollered out. The older man on the military vessel seemed startled by the pirate's words, yet seemed to gather himself together quickly enough.

"Captain Sparrow may we have permission to come aboard?" he called back politely; Jack arched his brows surprised by the words.

"Aye lad yourself and two of your men, any more than that and me crew will get jumpy" Jack acquiesced, and the commodore simply nodded before raising a plank and three men walked across onto the pirate vessel. Norrington held back the gasp that threatened to escape him when he finally got a close look at his one time nemesis Captain Jack Sparrow, the man looked positively unhealthy his pallor alarmingly white, and his already slim frame now gaunt. He looked over the younger man and noticed the angry cuts and bruises around  his face and arms, and the way that he held himself slightly hunched over as if protecting some still healing wounds to his stomach and back.

"Sparrow what's happened to you?" the naval officer asked, before he could stop the question from escaping. Jack looked up at him, the shock written clearly all over his face, Norrington shook his head. "Forgive me, you have no need to answer that question it was not my business to ask" he told the pirate melting under the intense scrutiny the pirate was paying him. 

"And what exactly is your business here?" jack asked, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, yet enough so that Norrington felt threatened.

"I have been approached by Governor Swan he seems to think that you have kidnapped his daughter and soon to be son-in-law and requested that we come out in search. Obviously given the relationship between the three of you I had my doubts that any force was required" he told the pirate, and Jack relaxed visibly, not used to this friendlier version of the naval man, but relived that he wouldn't have to put his already tired and battered body through another battle. 

"Aye they are here, safe and well, and aboard from their own free will" Jack responded, and gestured over his shoulder, where Norrington indeed saw Will and Elizabeth watching the conversation intently. "Now the question is what do you intend to do, drag them back to Port Royale, or just go and tell the good Governor Swan that all is well?" Jack asked, the usual gleam evident in his dark gaze. Norrington bit back a laugh, at one time the pirate's sharp tongue had angered him and infuriated him in his endeavours to see the pirate hang, yet somehow the Captain had wormed hi sway under his skin and he no longer wished to see the man die. That is not to say that he wanted to be good friends with him either though. 

"Well that Captain Sparrow is up to them. After all I cannot force them to come with me" Norrington replied. "May I go and speak with them?" he asked, and at Jack's slight nod he moved forward to the young couple. 

"Mr Turner Miss Swan" he greeted with a slight nod and the youngsters smiled at him in response, pleased that he didn't seem to wish any harm to their friend.

"Good evening James" Elizabeth greeted with a nod" What can we do for you?" she asked him.

"Your father has been concerned Elizabeth he seemed to think that you had been taken against your will" he told her and she rolled her eyes. "Obviously I trust that this is not the case, I merely wished to enquire as to whether you would require to sail with us back to Port Royal" he asked, her and didn't miss the concerned glance she shot towards the pirate Captain stood a few yards away form them. 

"No its quite okay Commodore, myself and Will are perfectly satisfied to stay aboard the Pearl, and Jack shall kindly return us to Port Royal as soon as we have completed our errands" she told him, and Will had to bite his lip to stop from laughing out loud, it was times like this that he was so proud that Elizabeth had in fact chosen him. Norrington raised an eyebrow at her words, but didn't comment any further, he simply followed her gaze to the pirate.

"Something happened to him didn't it?" he asked her, shocking the young woman with concern laced into his words. She paused before replying.

"Yes James, something very bad happened to him and he is still recovering. I wouldn't feel right abou leaving him quite yet. I wish to stay until I am sure that Jack is fully recovered however long that may be"she told him honestly, and he nodded appreciated the trust she had placed in him by providing this information and understanding her reasons for not wishing to leave the pirate Captain. He was well aware of the friendship that had developed over the time they had spent chasing after Barbossa, and he perfectly understood the loyalty that the young couple felt towards the pirate as he had undoubtedly saved both of their lives on more than one occasion. He nodded to her, and then bowed slightly.

"Okay I will send word to your father that all is well. Please take care of each other" he told them kindly, then almost as an afterthought added. "And of Captain Sparrow" and then he walked away rounding up his two officers he headed back across to the dauntless leaving behind a very shocked young couple.

"What on earth was that about?" Will asked when he had regained the use of his tongue.

"I guess that Jack has that effect on people" Elizabeth responded with a grin, before moving forward to wave of someone that she now thought of as a friend.

End Chapter Fifteen

Please review??


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Thank you all once again for your reviews, much appreciated. Thank you also for your kind reviews on my ficlet 'The Man Behind the Mask' I was very nervous about posting that story, but I am very relieved that it seems to have been well received. I have just posted another short two chapter story called 'Leave Right Now' so be sure to check it out and let me know what you think. If I receive enough reviews for it I am going to write a sequel and maybe develop it into a series.

Don't you worry though this story is still in full force, and it is going to be a long one. It may also become part of a series if I manage a good amount of feedback, after all I don't like the thought of writing a long series of stories and no one reading them!

I know that I said that I was going to respond to your reviews individually at the end of this story, but some of your reviews have been so kind that they have literally made me well up, so the least I can do is thank you personally. If you want to read my responses they are at the bottom of this chapter, if not then just make sure you skip past them to the little review button at the bottom of the page, as I know that these author notes can be really irritating, but come on I have resisted the urge really well up until now! To make up for all of my twittering that I am forcing you to suffer, this is a nice long chapter for you. 

Chapter Sixteen

After the Dauntless had sailed off life settled somewhat on board the Black pearl, though Jack still seemed very quiet and withdrawn his friends were very pleased when he joined them for lunch that afternoon. Although he barely ate, only picking at the food on his plate, it was still a marked improvement on previous days. He even managed a few smiles in response to the lighter atmosphere yet it was clear that his mind floated somewhere far away from their conversation. Elizabeth was just about to attempt to directly draw the Captain in to the idle chat, when she was interrupted by a yell from on the deck. Jack got to his feet, masking his wince and headed up to the helm. 

"Land ahoy sir" Gibbs told him, and Jack nodded.

"Aye, we should be able to dock in Tortuga by nightfall" Jack responded, and his eyes almost held the usual spark of mischief at the thought of his tankard of rum waiting for him in the Faithful Bride. "Aye, get the men up on deck" Jack ordered his first mate without even looking over his shoulder. Gibbs simply nodded, and set about his task. It was unlike Jack to be so short with his crew members, Gibbs sighed he couldn't help but be worried about the younger man. He just wished he knew exactly what had happened to him when he was taken. 

////

A few short hours later and most of the crew of the Black Pearl were feeling the earth beneath their feet. Jack swayed from side to side, still getting his bearings away from the sea. He took a deep breath in, and then coughed a deep hacking sound, his still protesting chest protesting at the movement. Will placed a gentle hand on the Captain's shoulder.

"Jack are you okay?" he asked, and Jack had to bite his tongue to not lash out at the lad, after all he was just being a friend.

"Aye lad, even better once I get me a tankard of rum and a wench" he responded, and began his walk towards the taverns. Will cast a glance over his shoulder, briefly making eye contact with the woman he loved. Elizabeth shot him a weak smile, before heading back into the cabin. Jack had stated in no uncertain terms that Elizabeth was not to leave the Pearl at night in Tortuga, and Will, much to Elizabeth's annoyance, had whole heartedly agreed. Will heaved a sigh and without a word he and Gibbs followed the Captain towards drunken oblivion. Will managed to make his one tankard of rum last the entire evening, and Gibbs didn't drink that much more, both of them knowing that they needed to keep an eye on the young pirate Captain, for fear he would do something stupid. Neither of them needed to worry, for Jack had managed to charm a young girl, and spent the whole evening with her perched on his lap, starring lustfully at his face and hanging on every word he uttered.

"How the hell does he do that?" Gibbs asked Will in amazement, never letting his eyes leave the figure of their discussions. Will shrugged before replying with a grin.

"Because he's Captain Jack Sparrow" he told him, and the first mate rolled his eyes.

"Aye that he is" the older man replied, and the two men chuckled together, sharing a sense of camaraderie. 

"Hey where's Jack gone?" Will asked, noticing for the first time that Jack was no longer sat close to them as he had been all evening. The two men looked around frantically, but to no avail Jack and the girl had gone. 

"Oh God! Elizabeth is going to kill me"

"Oh God! Anamaria is going to kill me" The two men cursed simultaneously. Exchanging a glance they downed the last of their drinks and headed out of the door, intent on finding their friend before either of the women found out. 

////

Over an hour later and the concern for their friend had gone up a couple of notches, they had searched most of the taverns in Tortuga and no sign of the Captain.

"Well what should we do?" Will asked the first mate stood beside him, Gibbs turned worried eyes to the young blacksmith.

"I suppose we better head back to the Pearl to face the music" Gibbs responded, and with a sigh the two men began their slow walk back to the ship, both dreading facing the women who were sure to make their lives hell. 

////

"So let me get this straight, you were sat three tables down from him, yet somehow he managed to slip out with a woman in tow, and neither of you noticed?" Anamaria asked incredulously, and the two men in front of her visibly shrunk under her intense gaze.

"Aye, that's a bout the size of it" Gibbs responded.

"One job! You had one bloody job to do and you can't even manage that! Just keep an eyes on the Captain why is that so bloody hard!" Anamaria asked trying very hard to keep from shouting.

"Maybe because the Captain doesn't appreciate his crew going behind his back as if he were some child that can't look out for himself" a new voice entered the conversation and the four of them spun around to find a very drunk and very angry Jack Sparrow looking back at them.  Anamaria stuttered, desperately trying to come up with some sort of explanation that her friend might accept, luckily for her Elizabeth came to the rescue.

"Neither am I Jack, yet you didn't hesitate for a second in ordering me to stay aboard as if I were incapable of looking after myself. Yet I did as you bid because I know that you did it because you were concerned for my well being. Anamaria asked Will and Mr Gibbs to keep an eye on you for exactly the same reason, she like all of us, was concerned about you and with good reason as well. Where have you been?" she asked him, all in one breath. Jack took a moment to respond his drink muddled brain trying to catch up with her words.

"Firstly you did as ordered, because it was exactly that, an order. This is my ship and whilst you are on it you will do as I say savvy?" he asked, and despite the glint of anger that crossed her eyes, Elizabeth nodded. "Now not that is he business of any of you I simply went back to young Lucille house to get better acquainted" he told them with a sly smile. Ana rolled her eyes, but held back from commenting. "Now I am going to my cabin to finish off me bottle of rum, I bid you al a good night" he told them as he bowed dramatically then turned away not noticing the wince that crossed the expression of his four spectators, who knew that his movements must have aggravated his tender flesh. 

"Well I think he took that quite well" Will commented dryly and the four of them chuckled slightly relieved that Jack was safe in bed, and they were all still living and breathing.

////

The next day Jack head felt as though a man had moved in during the night and was systematically playing a tune on his skull, with a rather large hammer.

"Bloody hell, how much did I have to drink?" he muttered to himself, he carefully got to his feet and stumbled out of his cabin. The streets of Tortuga were already busy as the market town bustled in trade. He sighed to himself and made his way across the deck where he found Will and Elizabeth.

"What plans have ye two got for today?" he asked them gruffly, still feeling slightly angry about their actions of the previous night.

"We thought we might head across to the market and see if there is anything worth picking up" Elizabeth responded, not shocked by Jack's attitude towards them, but slightly hurt nonetheless. Jack nodded.

"Aye, give me a minute, and I'll come along with ye" he told them, and Elizabeth simply nodded, she hadn't expected that. Less than ten minutes later Jack was once more by their side, hat perched on his head over his ever present bandana, and the three of them set off to peruse the market. The three of them had a pleasant day, Elizabeth was surprised by the change that seemed to come over the Captain. They stopped at a stall that sold small shiny trinkets, and Jack seemed to stare at them in wonder, picking them up and turning them over in his calloused hands, his eyes taking on a look of wonder similar to a child in a sweet shop. Elizabeth found herself incapable of removing her gaze from the pirate, she was so relieved to see him looking so animated as of late he had worryingly withdrawn and quite. With a sigh Jack put down the good ring he was fingering and turned around, just in time to see the woman he had met the previous night lounging against a wall, with a grin he started walking towards her. 

"Is that Lucille?" Elizabeth asked, and Will nodded, recognising the girl from the bar. Jack walked straight up to her, removing his hat and bowing in front of her, she giggled lightly, sounding like music to his tortured ears. 

"Good afternoon fair maiden, do I find you in good health?" he asked her, taking on the accent of a well spoken gentlemen, and she laughed once more.

"Oh Captain Sparrow you are daft" she told him affectionately and he grinned, taking her hand in his own and raising it to his lips, gently kissing it. She visibly shuddered at the attention, and Jack's grin grew. 

"Same time tonight?" he asked her, already sure of her response. She nodded, trying not to look too eager, and he once more bowed before heading back across to his friends. Elizabeth shook her head at him.

"Really Jack, you are incorrigible" she told him, and he simply grinned at her and the three friends walked back to where his beautiful ship awaited them. 

////

That evening Jack once more headed off into the main stretch of Tortuga, his gait steadily than the night before, but his shoulders still held a slight hunch as he compensated for his injured mid section. It didn't take him long to find the lady he searched for and she approached him with a smile. Will and Gibbs took a table discreetly behind, still intent in watching the Captain, and hopefully making a better job of it than the previous night. Will and Gibbs simply observed the pirate Captain, and so it was they that noticed first a rather large man also watching him. The man stepped forward so that he was directly behind the pirate Captain, and tapped him hard on the shoulder. Jack turned around, and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"'d appreciate ya not touching me wench" the man told Jack. The Captain laughed loudly, and locked gazes with the much larger man.

"Exactly who is your wench?" he asked, his tone filled with playful whelp. Gibbs and Will got to their feet clearly seeing the deadly glint in eth pirate's eye. 

"Lucille here is me wench, so get your paws off her" the man continued, and to emphasise his point he grabbed the young woman roughly by the arms and dragged her towards him, she winced at his grip. 

"Now then is that any way to treat a lady?" Jack asked, his hand now resting lightly on the hilt of his sword.

"I'll treat me wench in any way I see fit" the brute replied, drawing himself up to his full height so that he loomed over the pirate.

"Is that so? And what if I say otherwise?" Jack asked, leaning forward so that his face was a mere inch away from the older mans. This action seemed to catch the man unawares, and he took an involuntary step back, not used to people standing up to him.

"Then I guess I'd have to teach ya a lesson" he responded, and Will and Gibbs both groaned already knowing what was coming.

"That man is going to kill Jack, he'll eat him alive" Will whispered to Gibbs, but the older pirate shook his head, and the two followed the Captain outside as he prepared to duel the animal that had threatened the woman. 

"Ya know, Lucille told me all about ya. Ya must be Jonathon cater the third unless I am mistaken, and Captain Sparrow is very rarely mistaken" Jack spoke quietly, yet his voice held an edge. Yeah I knew it was you by the description. Ya know the sort face looks like he'd been battered since the day he'd been born, all disjointed and well ugly really. I recognised you instantly" jack continued, deliberately goading the much more powerful man. 

"What the hell is he doing? He's going to get himself killed" Will whispered to Gibbs both of them realising exactly what Jack was doing. It was only Gibbs' arms across the front of him that prevented Will from jumping in to help his friend, as Jack received a hard swipe across his already battered face. The grin however, remained steadfast across the pirate's face.

"Didn't know you couldn't fight though, if I had known that I wouldn't have wasted my time with ye" Jack commented, and the other man lunged angrily at him. Jack easily sidestepped the attack, and parried with a hard blow to the man's face. Jack spun around and completed his assault with an uppercut to the man's jaw, leaving the giant to fall to the ground. Jonathon looked up at the pirate dazed.

"On yer feet" Jack told him icily, and the larger man did as he was bid. Jack stood still hi sword raised in front of him but making no further move. Jonathon lunged at him, and Jack swerved slightly to the left, catching some of the blow on his arm, he made no reaction as the blade cut into his forearm, but he used his position to step forward and raise his sword to his opponent's sword. 

"You need to learn some respect boy" he told his captive, as he applied more pressure on his sword, a satisfied smirk lighting his face as a trickle of blood ran from the wound he had caused. Carter dared not respond, for he knew that to speak now could cost him his life. Jack snarled at the man, and then quick as a flash he raised his sword and using the hilt knocked the man to the ground, unconscious. Jack looked at the fallen man for a moment, then turned on his heel and without a word headed back to his ship. Gibbs and Will simply stared at his retreating figure.

"God I thought he was going to kill him" Will commented, releasing a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"Na Jack wouldn't kill unnecessarily. He just wanted  a bit of a fight" Gibbs responded.

"You mean that Jack wanted to get hurt?" Will asked incredulously. 

"No, he just wanted to feel something" Gibbs replied.

"What? Why?" Will asked thoroughly confused.

"Sometimes you bleed just to know you're alive" Gibbs responded uncharacteristically deeply, and then followed after his Captain. Will shook his head to himself he hadn't expected that sort of response from Gibbs, then again he did know Jack better than perhaps any one else. Will sighed, maybe things were worse than he thought. 

End Chapter Sixteen

Shungarpuff- Thank you very much for your review.

Homeless Nobody- Thank you very much! Your words are too kind- and thank you for spreading the word to your friends- the more the merrier. 

Lady of Nimrodel/Savvy Rum Drinker- Thank you very much for sticking with me through this story! I am really glad that you still seem to be enjoying it, and I hope that it lives up to your expectations. Thank you also for your thoughts on my other stories. Unfortunately there probably won't be anything added to 'The Man Behind the Mask', it is just supposed to set the back-story up for this story, just to get the feeling for the way I am trying to show the characters. However there will almost undoubtedly be a sequel to this story, as well as 'Leave Right Now' and whatever sequel I link to that. Sadly it s the end of the story Leave Right Now, however there is a sequel in the pipeline! It picks directly after it, and will be much longer, I just wanted to put the feelers out to see if anybody would actually be interested in reading it. However the sequel will probably not even start to be posted until the end of next week because I want to finish up Friend in Need first (That's not to say that the whole of this story will be posted by then, but it ill probably all be written!)

Meowface- Wow! Thank you! Also many thanks for reviewing my other stories as well, it is truly appreciated. 

Magoo1- Thank you for taking the time to review, I hope that you are still enjoying the story! Also thank you for your review on 'The Man Behind the Mask', glad you liked it!

MissSparrow88- Thank you again, please let me know your thoughts on the rest of this story!

IrishBird- I hope I managed to get your mind off study! Are you still enjoying it?

Padme- Yes there are going to be more and more flashbacks of Jack getting tortured as the story progresses, and we do find out exactly what happened as well as more insight into Jack's past.

Chan-chan-man- Yep nothing like a good bit of Jack bashing, and trust me there is plenty more of that to come!

ShooDizzyPirate- Thank you for reviewing, hope you are still enjoying!

Smeago Baggins- Don't you worry there is never going to be a slash fiction coming from me! Whilst I have no moral objections to slash stories, each to his own and all that, I would never ever write one myself! Looking forward to you coming back and catching up! Remember you are up to chapter nine, and you really need to review each chapter as you read it!

Bamfwriter- Thank you! You are the 'bomb' too for letting me know you like!

Chem- Hope you get back to internet access soon! Thank you for reviewing each chapter, I hope you will continue to do so as soon as you can!

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DragonHunter- Thank you so much for your reviews! Also thank you for the review on my other story! I am so glad that you are still enjoying this piece, and I hope that you will continue to let me know what you think as my story progresses!

Holiday1081- What can I say to you? Your last review actually brought tears to my eyes! Thank you doesn't seem like enough, it is so good to feel that people are truly enjoying the stories that I have got to offer, especially when they seem to get as emotionally involved in my words as you do, especially when they quote my own words back at me, fantastic! So truly thank you, and I beg you to continue to review.

Claire- An amazing writer huh? Wow high praise in deed! Don't you worry it is certainly shaping up to be a very long story, just make sure you stick with it and then I will too! 

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Jack the Monkey- Thank you very much! I am please that you are still enjoying the tale that this lowly write has to offer!

Phew bloody hell! I have just discovered the drawback of having so many fantastic reviewers! If I have missed anybody out please accept my sincerest apologies! Once again thank you all so very very much! Please continue to read and review my stories!

Love your humble and lowly writer

Shaz


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Once again many thanks for your numerous kind reviews, I really can't find the words to tell you how pleased I am that this story is being received so well! Please keep reviewing!

Chapter Seventeen

When Will had collected himself together enough he started to make his own way back to the ship. His mind was racing, so many questions tore through his brain after the events of the evening. He knew that he would never fully understand the complex puzzle that made up Captain Jack Sparrow, he had accepted that fact some time ago, but did the pirate truly believe that feeling the agony of a blade tearing through your flesh was better than no feeling at all? Will honestly didn't know what was going on in Jack's mind, but he sure as hell was going to find out. 

////

When Will arrived back at the Pearl, neither Jack nor Gibbs were anywhere to be found. His brow furrowed in confusion, where the hell had they got to? With a sigh he did the next best thing and hunted down Elizabeth, who as it turns out was much easier to find. 

"Elizabeth have Jack or Gibbs been back here?" he asked her, and she sighed in response.

"No Will, I haven't seen hide or hair of either of them. Why? Has something happened?" she asked, catching the look in his eye. 

"Nothing for you to worry about. Only the defence of a maiden, a duel and a possible suicide attempt, other than that just a normal evening down the pub" Will told her, and before she could respond, he was once more off looking for his friends.

"What on earth was that about?" Anamaria asked from her position behind the younger woman.

"I have no idea. I presume it ids merely a typical day in the company of Captain Jack Sparrow" Elizabeth responded, her voice laced with affection. 

////

Gibbs gently pushed his Captain down onto the awaiting barstool. The original idea had been to take Jack straight back to the Pearl to have his new wounds tended and to sleep off the rum he had consumed, but the Captain had had other plans. Jack had somehow managed to talk the older man to bringing to a bar to get more alcohol, and yet Gibbs still couldn't even recall exactly how the silver-tongued pirate had got him to agree. Gibbs would swear that Jack Sparrow could talk his way out of anything; he had an uncanny knack of twisting a conversation in circles so it ended up facing exactly the way he had planned all along. With a sigh Gibbs reluctantly sat down accepting that he could possibly be there for some time, he pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to his Captain so that Jack could wipe his still bleeding nose, which was accepted with a weak smile. 

"Why do you do this to yourself?" the older man asked his Captain quietly, not really expecting any sort of answer, he wasn't disappointed. Jack sighed deeply, and then with a slight grin finally spoke.

"Who else would let me?" he asked. Gibbs sighed it was obvious to him that he wasn't going to get a straight answer from his friend. "Now let's get some rum" Jack yelled heartily getting unsteadily to his feet and doing just that. Gibbs shook his head, his Captain never ceased to amaze him, one minute he would be battling away his movements graceful and powerful, and the next he'd be swaying unsteadily on his feet looking as though he was about to drop. Still it was just another trait that made up the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow, and Gibbs wasn't afraid to admit that he wouldn't have him any other way. Gibbs shook his head, and then raised his tankard to meet with Jack's in a silent toast, however unlike Jack, Gibbs merely sipped at his beverage intent on making sure it lasted he majority of the night, Jack obviously had no such intention as within a mere two hours the lad had already downed eight mugs of the vile substance. 

"What did they do to you Jack?" Gibbs asked very softly, catching the younger man by surprise, and was shocked when Jack tilted his head in the older man's direction, a look of confusion on his face.

"Who?" he asked genuinely puzzled. 

"That bastard that took you. Harry Birch?" Gibbs prompted encouraged by Jack's attention. "What did he do you to you that has made you try to get yourself killed wherever possible, or if that fails drink yourself into an early grave? Is that really the only peace you can find? When you forget?" Gibbs asked finally voicing the questions that had burning inside him for the last week or so.  Jack seemed to ponder his question for while, and Gibbs heart skipped a beat as he thought that he really had gone too far. Then he truly was knocked off guard once again by his Captain.

"Did ye sink 'is boat?" Jack asked his voice slurring more than usual, and he did not look at his first mate as he voiced his question.

"No, no we didn't" he responded, unsure where this was leading.

"Why not? Ye call yourselves pirates, and ye didn't even sink 'is ship!" Jack exclaimed clearly outraged, yet this time Gibbs was having none of it.

"Believe or not sir, at the time we had us hands full trying to rescue our Captain and get him back on the Pearl where he could be treated properly before he bled to death." Gibbs responded, his own anger now rising in him. "Now I'll tell you something Jack, you may not give a damn about your own life, but your crew sure as hell do. Captain Jack Sparrow is the Black Pearl, she may be your freedom, but you are her soul. I know the crew knows it, now how about you start accepting that huh?" the older man retorted before slamming his mug down on the abr. Jack grinned at his first mate, which unnerved the other man further.

" Well then I guess we had better set sail tomorrow, and make sure that that ship is sunk to Davy Jones without  a chance of ever coming back to haunt us again" Jack told him. 2We'll make sure that even if the good for nothing blighter is still alive, he'll have no damn ship to sail again" Jack continued, almost letting slip more than he intended. Jack Sparrow was no coward, in fact he was far from it, yet he knew he would never ever feel truly safe again until he had seen Harry Birch's lifeless corpse with his own two eyes, and for that they would have to sail back to where Jack had been rescued from. It wasn't something jack was looking forward to, as he knew what memories would leap back up at him, but he had to do it, after all he was captain Sparrow, no one and nothing would get the better of him. 

"We're going back?" Gibbs asked astonished at this turn of events. Jack nodded once, then downed the remainder of his drink, got to his feet and set off back to the Pearl, leaving Gibbs with little choice other than to follow.

End Chapter Seventeen

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	18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Once more thank you very much for your kind reviews. For any of you that are interested I have posted the first Chapter of 'Closest Thing to Crazy' the sequel to 'Leave Right Now', so make sure you go and check it out and review. See two stories in one night! I am feeling very generous since I passed my grading at Tae Kwon Do tonight! Woo hoo!!

Chapter Eighteen

Jack and Gibbs arrived back at the docks in no time at all, the pirate Captain was seemingly reenergised now that he had a course of action in mind. Just as the two rounded the last corner before being back at their ship, they bumped into Will Turner, literally. 

"Whelp? What are ye doing down there?" Jack asked as he pulled the young blacksmith back to his feet. Will dusted himself off and shot the Captain a pointed look before responding.

"Well I was out looking for you two, but obviously now I have found you. Where have you been?" he asked them his worry coming across as an angry tone in his voice. 

"Having some rum of course" Jack slurred in response, before swaying past Will up the gangplank of the Pearl, leaving his two friends little choice other than to follow. 

////

"You found him okay then?" Elizabeth asked her fiancé as she saw the three men walking towards her. 

"Well to be honest he sort of more found me" Will replied, rubbing his tender behind where he had been knocked to the ground. "You might want to go and check on our Captain, he has an injured arm" Will continued, and Elizabeth nodded before wordlessly making her way to the Captain's cabin, where she knew she would be facing her own battle. Trying to convince Jack to let her tend to him. Taking a deep breath the young woman knocked loudly on the door, and when she got a grunt in acknowledgement she made her way in. 

"Jack, Will says you have hurt your arm, can I take a look at it?" she asked him gently, and he turned an amused glance on her.

"You do know I ain't gonna break just by you talking to me don't ya?" he asked, catching the hesitant tone in her voice. "Seriously pet, I ain't gonna snap at me, you don't need to talk to me like I am some mental patient cos I'm not. Just act normal huh?" he asked of her, trying not to listen to the begging tone in his voice, and trying not to notice the kindness in her eyes as she looked at him. She stepped closer and gently raised his chin so that he looked into her eyes to see the honesty there. 

"Captain Jack Sparrow, you are my friend. I will not treat you with pity, because I respect you too much. I will, however, treat you with kindness because you are my friend, and even thought you don't want to talk about it you have been through a horrible experience, probably far worse than any of us can ever imagine. You have been betrayed and tortured once again by someone that you looked up to and respected, and no words from us can ever make up for that, but we are here for you. Please remember that, and also bear in mind that sometime sit does help to talk about things, don't push us away" she told him, and he could clearly see the emotion behind her words, but he found himself unable to bear the intensity of her gaze and pulled his head away from her grasp, he cleared his throat once for fear his voice would be heavy with emotion.

"Thank you Miss Swan, I will bear that in mind. Now I believe that you wanted to look at my masculine arm?" he asked her, at last the familiar twinkle back in his eye, she nodded once. "Always knew you couldn't keep your hand off of me" he retorted, and she chuckled out loud. Sure Jack still had a hell of a long way to go, but at least he was trying and she couldn't ask for much more than that. With a dramatic sigh, she gently rolled his sleeve up and set about cleaning yet another one of the Captain's wounds.

/////

Anamaria paced nervously, Gibbs had filed her in on her Captain's plane and she was sure if she should be cursing or rejoicing at the plan of action. In one hand she was mightily relieved that the Captain seemed to be showing some sides of getting back to his own version of normality, for without a doubt it was vengeance he was after and for a pirate that was the next logical step, but in the other hand she was scared. She was absolutely terrified that another encounter with Harry Birch would tip Jack completely over the edge, for in all honestly the crew of the Black Pearl had no idea as to the fate of the old man, a fact that none of them had even dared to admit to the Captain for fear of his reaction. They knew for a fact that they had managed to wipe out the entire crew of the White Knight, yet no one could say for sure that the ship's Captain had been one of their victims. If he was still alive and he did come after Jack then by god he was going to have to get through the entire crew of the Black pearl first, of that Anamaria was absolutely positive. 

/////

_"Come on Jackie boy, play with old Harry. Remember I'm just like the Daddy you never had. You loved me once, surely you can do this one for me?" Harry taunted his captive. _

_"Christ Harry, I already told ya I have never met her" Jack responded, his voice weaker than he would have liked, but he knew that it was a hell of a lot stronger than Harry was happy with._

_"Really? You think you can play me for a fool huh?" Harry asked, standing so close to Jack's position that the younger man could feel his torturer's breath against his face, though he could not see him through the blindfold that kept him well and truly in the dark, making it impossible to tell day from night. Jack tensed as he felt a finger trace patterns in his bare chest, his breath caught in his throat as the hand strayed lower, and he just managed to prevent the sigh of relief when he felt the hand withdraw, Christ that had been close. "Jack, I know you better than anyone. You were inseparable from Victoria and Emma, so it obviously stands to reason that you knew Alison as well, so tell me now where is she?" the mad man asked once more, and Jack plastered his best grin all over his face._

_"I never met the girl, unless she was that one that I met briefly in that alley in Tortuga that night" he replied, his voice lilted with his usually cocky tone, his head snapped back hard, bouncing off the wall, as he received a harsh blow to his unprotected head. He groaned involuntarily as the World spun around him disorientated him further as now his darkness was filled with swirling motions as his vision swam before his eyes. Just as he was about to succumb to blessed unconsciousness a rough hand pulled at his hair, snapping his head back so far he felt as though his neck would break. His breath hitched once more when he felt the distinctive cold metal feel of a blade pressed against his throat. _

_"Jack, I mean it, you got one more chance to tell me and then Mr Jones comes back" Harry told his one time friend. Jack snorted I response, the man was never going to earn respect if he couldn't even think of original aliases for his henchmen._

_"Bring it on" he whispered his voice too hoarse to go any louder. Once again, not a sound passed his lips as the blows rained down on him, even though his mind was screaming in agony._

_/////_

"Where's Jack?" Will asked Elizabeth as she approached the small group of three friends.

"He just drifted off, I suppose he needs the sleep" she told them. Jack had literally fallen asleep, he had passed out half from the alcohol and half from her ministrations halfway through her stitching his arm. She was just about to explain this fact to them, when a heart wrenching scream filled the air. All four of  them felt their hearts leap into their throats, as they simultaneously shared the same thought 

"Jack!" they all screamed together, and took off running.

End Chapter Eighteen

Please review?? Pretty please? I will beg if I have to!!!


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Thank you all for my reviews, but I am still going to beg for more, please?

Chapter Nineteen

The group of four sprinted as fast as if the devil himself was on their tail, their concern for their friend was so great that they just had to get to him. They had never heard a sound as full of agony as the scream that had emitted from the Captain, and each of them hoped that they would never hear it again. As they ran, a million thoughts crossed each of their minds, as their concern manifested itself deep in their minds, conjuring images of what could possibly have caused the pirate such distress, each vision slightly worse than the last. It seemed to take an eternity for the band to reach their destination, yet in reality for was merely a few seconds. As soon as they halted outside of the cabin's door, they hesitated, each of them reluctant to be the first to enter for dread of what they might find. 

"Oh for pity sake, let me through" Anamaria said with a sigh slowly barging the others out of the way so that she stood directly in front of the door. She took a deep breath then carefully pushed the door open, what she found beyond the wood was worse than she had imagined. Her Captain's bed was a screwed up mess, the sheets upon it drenched in fresh sweat, as he had fought his demons in his sleep. The whole of the cabinet from beside the bed was on the floor on its side, its former contents strewn haphazardly across the room, but even worse than all of that was the appearance of the man himself. The usually flagrant pirate sat huddled up in the furthest corner of the room, his knees pulled up to his chest and his forehead resting on top. He, like his bed, was coated in sweat and he trembled seemingly uncontrollably. Anamaria had to suppress her gasp at the sight, she merely turned away, shot an apologetic smile at the remaining three people on the outer threshold of the room, then she shut the door behind her, enclosing herself and jack alone in the darkness of the room, then she slowly began to walk towards him. He didn't even look up on her approach and offered no reaction even when she sat down beside him on the floor. She finally got a move from him when she placed her hand lightly down on his shoulder, slowly he rolled is face in her direction, and turned pain filled eyes on her. The sight was so heart wrenching that it literally took her breath away. She found herself so mesmerized by his emotion filled gaze that she was rendered speechless, and so the only action she could take was to pull the dazed and hurting Captain into her arms, and rest his head against her shoulder as he sobbed himself to sleep. Only when she was absolutely certain that the pirate was asleep, did she allow her own silent tears to flow. 

////

_"Oh Jackie boy, time to wake up" a cruel voice cut through the blissfully dark haze that had until that moment surrounded him. "Jack get the hell up, we got some more games to play!" Harry demanded of his captive, viciously kicking him in the ribs to reinforce his point. Jack only just succeeded in holding in his groan as the action caused waves of pain to course through his already beaten ribs._

_"It's not time to get up yet" he muttered quietly, his voice a shadow of its former cocky lilt. _

_"Jack, don't you ever get tired of playing the martyr? Oh jack hero to all women! What are you thinking man? You're a sodding pirate for pity sake, not some rescuer of maidens in distress!" Harry ranted at the younger man, and with each sentence the brute that stood by Jack's side issued a harsh kick to his unprotected side. _

"_Don't ya know yet mate? Do you not understand? I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" Jack responded, putting all of his energy in to trying to appear unemotional, yet his heart was beating so hard against his chest he honestly felt like it was going to explode through his already broken rib cage at any moment._

_"Yes. Yes of course you are. I wonder if that was the last thought that went through Emma's brain as she died. You see you blacked out before the very end. Do you remember? No of course not, I should imagine that things were pretty hazy for you at the time. Let me clear that one up for you. See I believe that you were still with us for the shot right. Yes I remember now, there you were swaying on yer feet like a good 'un, then I held the gun against your dear Emma's head didn't I? Ah yes and you thought I was bluffing, I mean after all what sort of a man would threaten his own daughter's life huh? Well BANG!!! I would that's who!" Harry spoke quietly, emphasising certain words, and Jack couldn't help the flinch that escaped him at these words. "I believe that that was where we lost you wasn't it Jacky boy? One last loving glance between two lovers, separated by evil or something like that isn't it?" Harry spoke only to Jack, his face so close that Jack could smile his breath, and it turned his stomach as more words spilt from the loathsome man. "Except that wasn't where it ended for dear Emma, oh no. That bullet through her head obviously wasn't enough to completely finish her off. See she was watching you, even tried to call out your name, sweet really isn't it? She still obviously hadn't seen you for what you were, just a filthy, lying, cheating pirate!" Harry told him, and finally Jack snapped. He had non interest in what Harry had to say about him, he was used to that. The fact that the commodore had tried to hang him, explained perfectly clear what sort of person he was, but he was not going to hear anything said about Emma's final moments, no one was going to desecrate her last moments any more than they were already. Jack lurched forward, managing to head butt the older man quiet forcefully straight on the head, and spat on him as he fell to the ground. Just as Jack was bout to further his attack he was grabbed from behind, and pulled to the ground, his arms still stretched out above him. He screeched in agony before he could stop himself as his joints left their sockets clearly dislocated by the agony that shot through him. The two men pummelled him, until once more he succumbed to darkness, hearing Harry's laughter reverberate through his skull as he finally lost consciousness. _

_/////_

Jack awoke with a start, only just biting back on the scream that threatened to erupt from him. It took a moment for the room to come into focus and when it eventually did he was more confused than before. He seemed to be sat on the floor, yet he wasn't alone, it took him another minute to work out that he was actually laying in the arms of Anamaria, and she seemed to be embracing him, yet she was sound a sleep. He shook his head to himself, he sure had to find out what was going on, he chuckled to himself, but soon sobered as the visions of his dream caught up with him, and he had to swallow past the bile that threatened to rise in his throat as he fought the urge to gag. He took a long shaky breath then carefully disentangled himself from his position in the arms of the woman that he cared deeply for.  He was halfway to the door of his cabin, before he looked back, and with a sigh and a small smile he carefully covered the dark woman with the blanket that was on the end of his bed, planted a soft kiss on her forehead and headed back to his position at the helm of his ship. 

/////

When Anamaria woke up the next morning, she was alone, and her muscles loudly protested about her body spending the night on the hard wooden floor. She stretched and was satisfied with the popping of her joints as she rotated them each in turn. She cast a gaze around the room, where the hell was Jack? She had never intended to fall asleep, her plan had been to lay awake and simply watch her Captain, to see if he was disturbed during his sleep, and comfort him if he needed to, yet her body had clearly betrayed her, as he was evidently much more exhausted than she had realised. Jack had managed to grant himself a reprieve from her questioning, but oh no, he wasn't going to get away with it that easily. With a new found steely glint in her eye, and a devilish smile on her face she made her way to track her Captain down. 

////

When she found him, he was stood at his favourite spot at the helm, with the sun shining down on his already tanned face. She took a deep breath to steel her unusually tingling nerves, the strode up to him, an angry look on her face. With one swift movement she pulled her arm back, and let fly with an almighty slap to his already bruised face, she slapped him so hard that he let go of the wheel and reeled back, his hand going up to the tender flesh. She had to try extremely hard not to wince in sympathy and apologise immediately, but what she was doing was for the greater good, it had to be done.

"Jack Sparrow, how dare you spend the night with me, and then sneak out before dawn leaving me alone in your room" she fumed at her dumbfounded friend. Jack looked at her his eyes wide in horror, as her words thoroughly confused him.  He attempted to stutter some semblance of a reply, but before any decipherable words could leave his mouth she interrupted him. "No I don't want to hear about it now, you have humiliated me enough already, I want to go below deck, and then you can give your pitiful excuse" she told him, as she dragged at his sleeve heading back towards his cabin. She signalled at Gibbs to take over the helm, and at his confused glance, she winked and smiled, and as realisation dawned on the old pirate he grinned in response, and chuckled as he took over Jack's position at the helm. Will and Elizabeth wandered over to the older man as soon as Jack and Anamaria had left their site.

"What was that all about?" Will asked the former navy man. Gibbs grinned at the young couple.

"Oh, I think Anamaria is finally going to get some answers from Captain Jack" he told them, then shook his head in amusement, oh yes this was one battle that perhaps even jack Sparrow could not win.

End Chapter Nineteen

Okay you know the drill, you want to find out the answers? Press that little blue button somewhere down below, come on you know you want to make your little author happy huh??


	20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Wow the big 2 0 huh, almost my age. Thank you once again for all your kind reviews. Sorry that this is posted slightly later than usual, I nearly gave my self a heart attack when I went to open the file and write up what I had written today, and I couldn't find the bloody story! Man I thought I had deleted it, and then there really would have been tears! Anyway it was all okay, as it was there all along, just hiding from me! So here goes the next chapter please keep the reviews coming!

Chapter Twenty

"Ana love, what the hell are you playing at?" Jack asked his female companion when they had reached the haven of his cabin and closed the door behind them. Anamaria looked up to her Captain, hoping to see a brief glimpse of amusement in his eyes, however all that she could decipher was confusion and a hint of uncertainty. She has also inadvertently reopened the gash above his eye when she had slapped him, and blood was now flowing down his face, seemingly unnoticed by the pirate Captain. She bit down on her urge to just envelope him in her arms, reminded herself it was for the greater good, and stepped forward pushing him back until the back of his knees met with the edge of the bed, and with one final shove he was sat down in front of her. He looked at her in confusion, seemingly looking for something eloquent to say in response to her actions, yet no words seemed willing to form. 

"Right then captain, time to talk" she told him, in a tone that allowed no room for arguments, and her steely gaze clearly telling him that there was no room for escape this time. 

"All right then pet, what would you like to discuss? How are things with you lately? How's the love life?" he asked her, as he got to his feet, finally displaying the flamboyance of the Captain Sparrow of old, as the realisation dawned on him as to the nature of her plan. Self preservation kicked in and he discreetly started edging back towards the door, and all of the alarm bells in his head were ringing at him telling him not to open up to her, after all what sort of pirates discussed their feelings together? Anamaria rolled her eyes, and also stepped forward, trying to block his exit.

"Listen here Jack; I ain't in the mood for your fancy talk. You know what I want to talk about with ye, and you know you owe me some answers" she told him gradually getting closer to him. 

"And how exactly do you figure that I owe you answers?" he asked her, stood so closely to her that she could smell the faint aroma of rum on his warm breath. 

"You stole my boat. By my reckoning since you ain't ever replaced it as agreed, I should be able to choose how the debt is repaid" she informed him with a smug grin. He shook his head at her. 

"That's very interesting reasoning love, but need I remind you that I am in fact a pirate, and pirates ain't exactly renowned for sticking to their word. Savvy?" he retorted, and successfully closed his hand around the handle of the door, yet her words once more stopped him in his tracks. 

"that as maybe, but good men do, and you my dear Captain are a good man, so I know you will stick to your word" se told him quietly. He groaned at her words, and turned once more to face her.

"Why did you have to go and say that?" he asked, a pained expression on his face.

"I say it because it's true. Whether you like it or not you area good man, hell I love ye Jack. Sometimes I wish that I didn't but I do, and seeing you like this is breaking my heart your crew are starting to seriously worry about you Jack. Please give me some answers?" she practically begged her friend, and for a moment he looked genuinely torn, but finally he sat down on his bed and gestured for her to join him. 

"All right lass, I'll tell you, but only cos I love ye" he told her, and she wasn't sure if she was more pleased at his words because he had agreed to talk, or because he had said that he  loved her even though it was in a backhanded way he had still said it. "However I am adding a condition to this little accord. I will tell you the basic skeleton of what happened, and when I am finished you may ask one question, but that is it just one question, and you have my word that I will answer it. Do we have an accord?" he continued.

"Agreed" she stated, shaking his hand. With a s ghost of a smile, the pirate Captain settled back on his bed, with his legs stretched out in front of him, and started to relay his tale.

"Well as I told ye I have known old Harry for quite some years. Obviously that kinda worked against as he knew exactly where to hurt me when he grabbed me. He got like a real amateur. See when we took that ship I caught a blade to the ribs and I just kept going, like always. Trouble was I didn't take down the blighter that got me, and I let me guard down too soon. I gave the order to you lot to just start looting, I was careless we should have kept searching until we knew we hade em. Anyways just as I was making me way back to me Pearl, I felt this blade point at me, and when I turned around I was more than slightly surprised to see old Harry on the other end of the sword. Anyways needless to say he got me, and somehow managed to hide us down below until the crew had all gone back to the Pearl, and then he just sailed away, and none of you lot noticed a thing until he was too far away to catch" he told her trying hard to keep the recrimination from his voice. Anamaria nodded, her guilt showing in her eyes. "Its all right love, its not your fault. I didn't see it coming either, I shoulda known better" he reassured her, and she shot him a weak grin, grateful for the words. "Anyways he didn't wait long until he introduced me rather intimately to some of his favourite weapons. I mean the old sod had a whole torture chamber hidden below deck. He would alternate so I'd never know what was coming next, and he'd always stop just as I was about to pass out, I guess he couldn't even let me have that luxury huh? Anyway he just kept trying to goad me into a reaction and for the most part I resisted, obviously at a price, but I didn't wanna give him the satisfaction. Then he started talking about Emma, and he knew damn well that he had found his weakness, and hell he was right. He kept on and on about her and the day she died, he wouldn't let up, so I head butted him and spat on him. I tell you now lass, I didn't wake up for four days after that. Christ I thought he was going to kill me there and them. Throughout the whole thing all he kept asking was where his daughter was, at first I thought he'd gone barmy and forgotten that she'd died at his own hand a  number of years ago. Then as the weeks passed I gathered that it wasn't Emma he was talking about it wasn't even Victoria, it was his third daughter. He's so sure that I know where she is, I don't know where he got that idea from, but he was adamant that I had something to do with it, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Trust me I tried. And that my dear is about it, that is where you and Gibbs entered eth scene, and came to the rescue of your poor Captain" he told her, deliberately keeping his story especially vague. Ana was speechless at his words, so much had happened to the man, probably enough that he shouldn't even be capable of relaying his tale no, and she knew that he had left a hell of a lot out, and had not gone into any details. Yet somehow that was worse, as it allowed her the luxury of her mind filling in the gaps, yet somehow she knew that the stark reality would most likely be far worse than anything she could imagine. Now she had to try to think of her one question to ask him, her mind conjured up a number of possibilities, and she had to bite her tongue to prevent the numerous questions from spilling out for fear of wasting her opportunity. Finally with a determined nod, she settled on her question, she wasn't sure how her Captain would react to the one she had selected, but he did say he would answer any question. She took a deep breath, and then dove in head first.

"Okay then Captain, here's your one question. Do you know where his daughter is?" she asked, and the silence in the room was deafening as she held her breath eagerly awaiting his answer. 

End Chapter Twenty

Yes yes yes, I am a meanie leaving it like that! Do you want to know the answer to her question? Well I'm not bothered, as I already know the answer, jack told me himself yesterday. If you by any chance do wish to find out then you had best press that little button and review!!!!! Please???


	21. Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One

Oh no! So you lot think I'm mean huh? Come on it was only a little cliffie! I had to keep you in a little bit of suspense! Anyway thank you very much for your reviews, and I apologise for being mean! Wow we have reached a hundred reviews! How great is that??? Please keep them coming! Also don't forget to check out my 'From Hell' fic 'Personal Hell' and my PotC drabble 'I'm Gonna Smile'

Chapter Twenty One

The silence seemed to hang in the air for an age, and Jack didn't seem inclined to answer her question, just as Anamaria was about to prompt him into a response, he cleared his throat and turned towards her. She was shocked to see tears welled up in his chocolate eyes as he looked at her. 

"Aye lass, I know exactly where his daughter is" he responded, and then turned and walked away from her. She stared after him open mother. He knew? Well had he taken her? Where the hell was she? Had he given Harry Birch the information that he needed? So many questions raced through her mind, yet she knew he would not permit her to verbalise any of them, at least not yet. 

/////

Jack finally managed a whole day stood at the helm, after his cosy little chat with Anamaria, the pirate was having trouble banishing his memories from his mind, so he took his comfort in the only way he knew. He drank rum and lots of it. He drank so much that he could barely stand yet he still refused to relinquish his hold on the wheel. Anamaria had headed straight off to tell Will and Elizabeth the latest twists in the saga, just as Jack had known she would, yet he couldn't bring himself to care overly much. To care only meant to hurt, and that was precisely why he was currently drinking his eighth bottle of rum, it was the only thing that numbed the pain. The pain of his wounds, the pain of his memories and the pain in his heart.

/////

"Are you just going to stand there and watch him drink himself to death?" Elizabeth asked Gibbs angrily, the former navy man shrugged his shoulders.

"Jack be best just left alone. He is lost in his thoughts, and at the end of the day he is my captain, I do as he says" Gibbs responded, and Elizabeth fumed in exasperation.

"Bloody pirates!" she retorted and marched up to the helm herself. Jack whirled abruptly around on hearing her approach, despite his drunken state first and foremost he was a pirate, and a pirate was always on his guard. Elizabeth halted immediately upon his reaction, and eyed him nervously until he removed his hand from the hilt of his sword. 

"Haven't you learnt by now not to go sneaking up on pirates?" Jack asked her, slurring his words as the rum took effect.

"If you heard me then I obviously didn't sneak up did I?" she asked him triumphantly. Jack rolled his eyes in response, but couldn't bring himself to directly respond to her comment.

"What can Id o for you Miss Swan?" he asked instead.

"Well I was hoping that you would join me for some supper. Will has already eaten, and it is terribly tiresome to eat on my own" she told him, hoping that the sly pirate would fall for her weak attempts at firstly getting some food into his much too thin form and secondly hoping that the table conversation would extend to his recent troubles.  Jack sighed, he knew what she was up to, yet he felt so tired that leaving the helm for a few moments may not be such a bad idea, with s light nod he reluctantly gestured to Gibbs to take over the wheel, and followed slowly behind Elizabeth as she headed to get some food. Elizabeth piled up a large plate of bread and cheese and whatever she could lay her hands on, then she grabbed two smaller plates and went to sit down besides the ship's Captain. As soon as she sat she pushed more than half of the food onto one of the smaller plates, and placed it in front of her friend. He looked at her with his eyebrow raised in question, yet she refused to rise to the bait and she simply ignored him, until eventually with a huge dramatic sigh he picked up a chunk of bread and began to chew it disinterestedly. 

"So Miss Swan, why did you really want me to come down here?" he asked her, when he could bear the awkward silence no more. She looked at him, and her gaze was so piercing that he could have sworn that she saw right down beyond his soul, and saw every emotion he had ever felt and every thought he had ever had. He looked away when he could stand the intensity no more, yet his movement was halted by a firm yet feminine hand n his jaw. 

"Jack, please don't shut us out. Anamaria told us what had happened, and I don't want to force you to talk, yet it looks to me like whatever it is, is eating you up from the inside out, and that's no good for any man" she told him, her voice barely a whisper, yet it echoed through Jack's overcrowded mind. He sighed deeply once more, and lowered his head to rest against his arms that were down on the table, his plate now discarded and forgotten though its contents were barely touched. 

"It's just so hard" he told her, not looking up and his voice barely carrying the distance between them. "Everything that happened, was over and done with so long ago, then Harry pops up again, and the memories just won't leave me be" he told her, hating himself for admitting his weakness, and the desperate pitch that his low voice carried. "When Emma died I fell apart, I went crazy for quite a while, call it grief, call it guilt it don't really matter. I just couldn't handle that she was gone, I didn't want to accept that I would never get to marry her. All the plans that we had made had gone out of the window, and I knew I would never ever find anybody that I loved as I had loved her. I also knew that no one would ever love me as unconditionally as she had. Eventually I got through it, with more than a little help from old Bootstrap I guess, but it sort of changed my outlook somewhat. See now I can't see meself ever settling down with someone, cos I don't think I could handle losing them in that way again. I can't take it again" Jack told her his voice still a whisper, and Elizabeth was shocked into silence by Jack's admission, this was certainly a side of Jack Sparrow that she had never seen before, nor expected to. She knew that his lovers death would have had a marked effect on the man, but he was talking about never trusting the World with his heart again, for fear of it being broken as it had all those years ago Suddenly another thing about Jack Sparrow made perfect sense, and she looked at him with new found clarity. He really was a good man, he had deliberately left he majority of his life without a woman by his side to love him and hold him, because he was afraid that she would get hurt because of him. Get hurt because of who and what he was. Elizabeth smiled lightly and gently squeezed her friend's solid forearm.

"Jack you truly are a puzzle" she told him. He looked up confused at her words. "I am terribly sorry for the hurt that you have had to endure time and time again, but please remember one thing. You have the four of us and we each love you in our own way. It doesn't make you any less of a man, or any less of a pirate if you come to us when you feel the need to talk" she told him softly. He returned the smile weakly, and then he got to his feet and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Thank ye lass, but you really shouldn't care for Captain Jack too much" he told her, then headed back to the helm of his ship, for he knew he would get no rest that night. 

End Chapter Twenty One

Check back tomorrow for the answers to some questions, and what happens when the Pearl returns to where she last saw the 'White Knight'?

If you really want to find out, and you really want to see another chapter posted tomorrow you know what you have got to do!


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Two

Wow it was lovely to get up this morning and find so many reviews waiting for me, I suppose that that's the advantage of posting chapters of three different stories at once! Anyway thank you all heaps for your kind reviews, it really is appreciated, but I am still going you to ask you to keep them coming!

Chapter Twenty Two

Jack once more stood by the wheel of his ship, his mind in turmoil. Memories he thought he had long since banished were now coming at him with renewed intensity. Harry's words echoed over and over in his trouble mind. Jack had always had the consolation of knowing that at least Emma hadn't suffered when she had been killed by her father, he had seen the look in her eye and knew that she was filled with terror, yet a bullet to the head was a quick death. You would barely even feel it coming, yet now Harry had even stolen that illusion, to think that Emma had survived the initial bullet was torture to the pirate Captain that would have traded his life for hers in a heartbeat. He sighed to himself, and as he sailed the pirate ship in the calm waters, he allowed his mind to wander back into the past.

_Flashback_

_Jack Sparrow paced back and forward practicing his speech in his mind. He had arranged to meet his dear friend Harry Birch in the tavern in a mere five minutes, and he still hadn__'t perfected what he intended to say to the man. He almost sprinted out of the tavern when he saw the other man enter, but no Jack Sparrow wouldn't run from anything. He had fought battles against the most brutal and ferocious of enemies surely he could handle a drink and a chat with his friend? Harry walked straight over to the younger man with a smile, and Jack weakly returned the gesture, soon the two men were sat down at a table with a drink in their hands,, and a heavy silence surrounding them. _

_"Jack? Did you ask me here for a reason or just to sit in silence?" the older man asked when he could stand the tension no more. Jack sort of looked down, and Harry was concerned by the man's pale complexion and nervous behaviour. "Jack? Is there something wrong son? You know you can tell me if there is" he asked, his concerned elevated when jack still didn't look at him. Finally the younger man seemed to collect himself together enough to speak. He took a deep breath, before and then allowed the words to roll off of his tongue._

_"Well as you know, me and Emma have been courting for some time, and well we love each other sir" he spoke, and finally looked up to meet the older man's eyes. "I'd like to ask you for her hand in marriage, I'd like to make an honest woman out of her, and for us to have a family together" Jack continued, his voice shaking as the words left his mouth. He was so nervous, yet finally the weight of the World was lifted from his shoulders as the grin spread across the other man's face. Before he knew it he found himself pulled into the fiercest hug he could ever recall._

_"Oh Jack my boy! You make me so proud! Of course you can have her hand in marriage, nothing would make me happier" Harry told the lad that he had long since considered a son. He had tears welling up in his eyes, he was so pleased that his daughter was going to be marrying such a fine honest boy as Jack Sparrow. "I know that the two of you will be very happy together, you will live long joyful lives together, and I will be a proud grandfather in no time" he told the boy, and Jack grinned, his relief evident in his eyes, yet somewhere down below the same dread and fear lingered, what if Harry found out about his occupation._

_End Flashback_

Jack closed his eyes against the pain. At the time Harry's words had meant so much to him, he had truly believed that at long last he had found a place where he would be loved unconditionally, and permanently, how wrong he had been. He had only ever raised the issue of Harry's thoughts on his chosen occupation once to his young love, and the time he had thought of that day as the happiest of his life, now it just added to the pain and sorrow in his heart.

_Flashback_

_"So Jack, are you gonna marry me one day then?" Emma Birch asked her lover, with a purr in her voice._

_"Emma, you know I love ye, I know I love ye, why would me need a bit of paper to tell us?" he asked in response to her question. She sighed deeply._

_"Maybe I want the World to know" she replied quietly._

_"You shouldn't want the World to know of your acquaintances. I ain't the sort of person you should be proud to know" he told her his eyes downcast. She stepped forward and lifted his chin up in her hand so that his deep brown eyes met hers._

_"Jack Sparrow you listen to me and you listen good. I love you, and I don't give a hoot what any one else thinks of that, and it surely isn't going to stop me getting you down that aisle even if I have to do so at gunpoint.  Besides which my father has known you for how long? How many years? Yet he has no idea of your chosen path, why on earth would any one else know what you do?" she reasoned. Jack sighed._

_"Do you ever wonder what old Harry would do if he were to find out?" Jack asked softly, that question had been playing on his mind for some time, yet he still felt the need to ask it. Emma smiled gently._

_"Jack, my father loves you like his own. He was so pleased when we started courting, nothing would change his opinion of you. Sure he'll probably be a bit disappointed that he didn't know sooner, but he'd never turf you out, you thinks too much of you" she told him, and he leant forward and placed a soft kiss on her full lips._

_"Thank you darling" he replied after a moment. Then without a word he knelt down on the grass in front of her and reached into his jacket pocket, he pulled up a beautiful gold ring encrusted with a single clear diamond. "Emma Birch, you are the only woman I have ever loved, you feel my heart with light and my soul with joy, would you do me the great honour of becoming me wife?" he asked her, and the young woman felt her eyes fill with tears, and mist over as the moisture threatened to escape._

_"Oh Jack! It's beautiful" she exclaimed, and pulled him into a tight hug "Of course I'll marry you" she responded, and the two shared a long kiss, and neither to them wanted to let go, because they each knew that they would never feel as together as they did at that moment. _

_End Flashback_

Jack bit back on his sob, if only Emma had been right. If only Harry had truly thought enough of him to disregard his chosen way of life, and to still welcome him into his family, then things would have been so different. He and Emma would have wed, and had children, and who knows? Maybe he would have given up the pirate's life to opt to be closer to his first love. Jack hunched over as the familiar burn of tears wet his face, as then his old friend grief and sorrow reached out to him. As much as he had tried to convince himself otherwise he had never gotten over Emma, he knew that he never would. He guessed that the way she had been killed right in front of his eyes, had probably lead to his unusual morals of only killing whenever absolutely necessary. Jack maybe a pirate and he may steal and plunder whenever he got the chance, yet seeing his love murdered in cold blood right before him had scarred him deeper than any knife or bullet, and he very rarely saw fit to issue that sort of punishment to anybody, unless he had absolutely no choice. Many people didn't understand a pirate being hesitant to kill, yet he knew he could never be any other way, although of course it had taken his a long time to realise it. It wasn't until about five years after he had been marooned that he realised that in some ways he was no better than Harry Birch for the way he sometimes treated people. He sighed once more, now was really not the time to let his thoughts travel down that road. Letting his regrets mingle in with his current depression really was not a good idea, not when he had a ship to sail, and he had to make sure that a man who deserved a slow and painful death got exactly that. 

End chapter Twenty Two

Check back tomorrow night for an update, as it is already written ad sat in front of me! In chapter 23 there are some more questions answered, and Harry Birch makes an appearance, but of course it very much depends on how many reviews I get for this chappie as to how quickly I post the next. 


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three

Okay okay, I got enough reviews, and here is the next chapter. Just to warn you, some bad language is coming in this chapter, so please don't complain about it!

Chapter Twenty Three

Gibbs and Anamaria stood on deck for most of the day discreetly observing their Captain, they could tell that he was waging some sort of inner battle, and they could probably hazard a guess as what it was about, yet neither of them approached him. Sometimes it was for the best to leave the man to handle his own thoughts, and to draw his own confusion. Ana however did nearly run to him when she saw him look up with clear moisture running down his face, it was only Gibbs' hand on her arm that physically restrained her from dashing across to him and holding him so tight that the evils of the World couldn't' get to him. In her heart that was precisely what she wanted to do, yet in her head she knew that the Captain would not thank her for it, and certainly would not appreciate the gesture. First and foremost Jack Sparrow was a pirate, and the Captain of the most known pirate ship that sailed the Caribbean, the Black Pearl. Jack was a proud man and he had every right to be, he would not take kindly to his weakness being keenly displayed to members of his crew, whether it be Ana or not. So reluctantly she stayed hidden alongside Gibbs, they merely stood and watched, just making sure that their Captain made no rash action, it was as such that they were more than slightly surprised when they heard hi voice.

"You know, for pirates you are terrible at hiding in the shadows" he called, out and they exchanged a glance suitably abashed, then slowly left their hiding place and walked up to their Captain. "Just what the hell do ye think ye are doing spying on me like that?" he asked, his eyes blazing, yet his voice calm.

"Sorry Captain, we were just concerned is all" Gibbs replied, compassion showing in his gaze. Jack heaved a huge sigh.

"Whilst I appreciate your concern, it is widely misplaced. I am fine savvy?" he told rather than asked, yet his two crew members nodded regardless. "Right now let's get down to business, what do ye want?" he asked them, and they exchanged another surprised glance.

"Well I'd like to know where Birch's daughter is" Ana stated calmly, and Jack reeled back as if struck. He took a deep breath; he truly hadn't seen that one coming. 

"Well that I ain't willing to give ye love" he replied eventually.

"At least tell me why?" Ana pushed, and Gibbs shot her a warning glance, it didn't bode well to push Captain Sparrow too far, especially not when he had recently been severely tortured for this same piece of information.

"I ain't got to justify myself to anyone on this ship, cos I'm the Captain and I can do as I please. Yet since its you lass, I can give ye several reasons" he told them, and grinned a small smile of satisfaction as her anger turned to surprise at his words and his calm response. "Firstly, you have no need to know, secondly I don't want ye to know. Thirdly there ain't no way I am gonna tell anybody whatsoever where the girl is. I ain't putting her or my crew at that risk savvy?" he told her, and then turned his attention back to the wheel, marking the clear end of their conversation. Anamaria stood staring at his back for some time, too shocked to grasp that there was nothing more to say on the subject, yet a part of her was also immensely relieved, that was the first glimpse, of the real Jack Sparrow that she knew and loved, that had surfaced in what felt like an eternity. Her Captain was slowly making his way back to them, and even if she had to physically drag him the rest of the way; she would make sure he got back to them safe and sound. With a grin she turned back to Gibbs and together the first and second mate of the ship scurried off to report back to the blacksmith and his girlfriend. 

////

Once left alone, Jack released the breath that he hadn't realised he had been holding. The real reason he didn't wish to explain the whereabouts of the girl, wouldn't be easily understood by his friends. He felt somewhat ashamed by the true location of the girl, and he didn't feel he would be able to summon the words or the reasoning behind his actions all those years ago. Besides it was true that anyone that knew where she was would be at risk, and he would not have anybody else getting hurt because of him. Plus the girl could be harmed, as he wasn't so sure that his crew would be able to resist the skilled torture in exchange for answers, and it certainly wasn't something he was willing to test. 

////

The following morning found Jack still stood stubbornly at the helm, he had not left his position, not even to sleep or eat, he was determined to get to the last known position of the 'White Knight' as fast as the Black Pearl could sail, and no living man could get that speed out of her other then Captain Jack Sparrow, his lady understood him well, an the two gelled in a manner beyond comprehension. Which was partly why the crew respected the man so much, they had never known a Captain more in tune with his ship, and so outlandish in his wild schemes and plans, and so lucky in how fruitful they generally were. Jack's perseverance paid off and the Pearl got to their destination half a day quicker than expected, yet  his luck didn't hold given the fact that the opponents ship was no where to be seen. 

////

"He might not even know where she is sir" the first mate of the White Knight told his Captain.

"He does bloody know!" the older man retorted angrily, swinging a fist at his crewman. The smaller man fell to the deck, the blow catching him directly in the face. Harry Birch seethed with anger. Jack Sparrow had eluded him for long enough, the slippery bastard just didn't know when to lay down and die. Once upon a time Harry would have been pleased at that, he had taken the Sparrow under his wing, and cared for the young man as if he was one of his own. That was precisely why Jack's betrayal had hit him so hard. Harry had been willing to let the lad take the hand of his youngest daughter, had welcomed him into the family with open arms, and the whole time he had been a blasted pirate, and not even had the courage to tell him. Damn the man, Harry had loved the kid, yet now he despised him. The anger had built up over the years, until finally he had seen his chance to get his vengeance on the one man that had torn his family apart- Jack Sparrow. He had been pleased as punch when he had managed to convince the crew of the merchant ship that it would be well worth their while to assist him in capturing Jack Sparrow. At first they had been extremely hesitant, it seemed that the lad had got himself quite a reputation since Harry had last set eyes on him, as had his ship and his crew, yet money was a powerful incentive and Harry had plenty of that. He had managed to lash together some semblance of a willing crew, and with his money managed to arm the vessel sufficiently to launch a surprise attack on the much better armed Pirate ship. He laughed at his own cleverness, Jack had waltzed straight into his trap, never even seeing it coming, it seemed as though he had overestimated the pirate. His opinion was rapidly changed, however, as over the course of the next months Jack successfully kept tight lipped through every form of torture Harry had knowledge of, and there sure was a hell of a lot of knowledge. The pirate even back chatted him, with that cocky grin on his face. For a moment Harry had almost admired the younger man, Jack still had that familiar glint of mischief in his eyes, and the full smile, but so many other things about the young man had changed. He now wore a number of trinkets in his hair, and a bone of all things, plus he swaggered and swayed like he was permanently intoxicated, but more than that the man held a madness that hadn't been there before, and Harry wondered if he had been the cause of that. Harry was surprised when it took him a few moments to recognise the character, yet the familiar tattoo of the bird in flight eventually gave him away, Jack on the other hand had had no difficulties in recognising the man that had changed the course of his life, yet even then he showed no hatred, no anger, just calm acceptance, that almost threw Harry off his guard. Harry sighed dragging his thoughts away from their quarry, and set his mind to the task at hand. He drew back his foot and viciously kicked the man at his feet in the stomach. "Come on you piece of shit on yer feet, we've got a bird that needs caging" he yelled, and with a grunt the dazed seaman stumbled to his feet for fear of facing his Captain's wraith, for he knew that if they let the pirate get away again, none of them would survive to tell the tale. 

////

Jack angrily paced up and down the deck, too angry to even speak without throttling somebody. Will and Elizabeth stood to one side besides Anamaria and Gibbs, none of them quite brave or stupid enough to approach the irate Captain. After an age he turned his furious gaze upon the four of them and pointed a finger at each

"Just when the hell were you going to tell me that you hadn't killed all of the bastards?" he asked them seething with anger. They nervously exchanged a glance. 

"Well to be honest Captain, we weren't entirely sure. See there was a possibility that we had got em all, but we didn't really stick around long enough to find out" Gibbs told his friend; Jack whirled around to stand just in front of possibly his oldest friend.

"Well don't you think it would have been a good idea for you to ascertain that fact before sailing away into the sunset?" Jack asked his voice scathing.

"I told ye, we were too concerned with making sure our Captain survived to fight another day" Gibbs responded evenly, ignoring his Captain's tone as he reminded him of their previous discussion. Jack gaze darkened even further as he stepped so he was stood mere millimetres away from his first mate. 

"Don't you think it may have been helpful if you had shared the information with your Captain?" he demanded, his voice low so only Gibbs could hear, yet the others present clearly caught the menacing poise of the pirate Captain, and shuddered in turn at the thoughts of what Jack could be about to do. Gibbs swallowed nervously; he was very unused to being on the receiving end of this side of Jack's personality and now understood exactly how the young Captain had earnt his reputation. 

"I guess so Jack, I'm sorry" Gibbs replied. Jack sighed deeply, and seemingly all the fight had left him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly, though the madness was gone from his eyes. Gibbs heaved a sigh in relief, seemingly the worse was over. 

"You were so ill for a while Jack, we weren't even sure if you'd survive when we got away. Then when you started healing you had so many other thing ta deal with the dreams and memories that plagued you, I didn't want to add to that" Gibbs told him.

"No WE didn't want to add to that" the young blacksmith cut in. "I'm not sorry Jack. We did what we thought was best at the time. We wanted to see you well, and giving you another thing to concern yourself with could have killed you. We'd rather see you alive and mad as hell at us, then so angry that you tore all your stitches out and set off on a goose chase before you were even well enough to be out of bed. So Jack I'm not sorry, and if you want to hit me, then do so. If it will really make you feel better than do it" Will told his friend, and he meant every word.  Jack sighed, emotionally drained; he stepped closer to his young friend, and Will tried hard not to flinch for a second regretting his offer luckily Jack merely gently tapped him on the arm.

"I understand why you did it, I don't like it, but I do understand. Just please don't do it again, else I will accept that invitation in a heartbeat savvy?" Jack told him and Will nodded, getting the distinct impression that his friend meant every word. With the crisis over the group dispersed.

"So what now Captain?" Anamaria asked him when the tension had gone down a notch. Jack took a deep sigh, the truth was he didn't know what came next, he hesitated before responding. Chances were that Harry was still alive, and still in command of the other ship, but where would they go? He knew that the older man would most likely not give up on his hunt for his daughter which meant that he would still be after Jack. At this realisation the pirate Captain smiled, yes a plan was forming. If he wanted Jack, then he should come and get him. 

"We set sail for Kingston right away" Jack told his second mate, and Anamaria hid her surprise at his words well, and simply headed off to second the command to the rest of the crew. 

End Chapter Twenty Three

See a nice long chapter for you tonight! I hope that that answered a few questions, please review and let me know your thoughts?


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Four

Wow thank you! I am seriously overwhelmed by the reaction to this story! I never expected it. How do I get the chapters posted so quickly you ask? Well basically I have become very good at juggling. I manage to balance my full time job, my horse, my Tae Kwon Do training, my studying towards my history degree, my boyfriend and my social life, and still find time to write this fic, but sleep is over rated anyway! No seriously I don't know how I find the time, I just know that these stories keep nagging at the back of my mind and I keep getting itchy fingers to write more, and I can't really rest until I do. So it is best to sit up late and get a new chapter posted, than thinking about it when I am trying to go to sleep! Then every once in  a while I won't post for a week or so, as I catch up with other things. In fact I have been pretty good lately, I usually stop writing so much around my grading time at TKD, but this time you got probably more than normal! Man I must be addicted to writing this story!

Anyways enough of my ramblings, thanks once again for reading and reviewing, I hope I can rely on you to continue to do so!

Chapter Twenty Four

As soon as the Pearl was set on her new course Jack headed straight to his cabin with a couple of bottles of rum.

"Well I think that that went better than expected" Will commented when the Captain was out of earshot. Gibbs shot him a scathing look, which was uncommon for the former naval man.

"Maybe for you, I thought he was going to invite me to a duel for a moment! I was already to go and write me will" the older man responded. Will had to bite his lip not to laugh, whilst the large man could hold his own in a sword fight against a common pirate, Jack was certainly no common pirate, even weak and injured he would defeat Gibbs with one arm tied behind his back, though Will sensibly refrained form saying so at that time, Ana didn't hold back in such a way.

"You know Jack well enough to know that he might be a pirate but he ain't no cold blooded killer, and that's what duelling with you would be for him" she retorted, with a slight glimmer in her eye. Gibbs simply shook his head, not wishing to comment any further, mainly because he knew she was right, Jack's skill with a blade was unmatched amongst pirates that sailed these waters, everybody knew it, it was part of what made up the legend of Captain Jack Sparrow, though not necessarily something that made the man what he was. 

"So why Kingston?" Elizabeth asked after a moment.

"Cos the Captain said so" Ana replied, as if Elizabeth had just asked the World's most stupid question.  Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Yes I am well aware of that fact, but why does Jack wish to set sail to Kingston?" she asked. 

"Why don't ya ask him yourself?" a voice asked from behind, and she whirled around in shock to find Jack stood behind her. She pulled back her hand and slapped him hard across the cheek, and then remembering his currently fragile state, immediately regretted her actions.

"Oh Jack I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you" she apologised profusely, yet her words were met with a sly grin. 

"Don't be sorry lass, it's the most normal you have treated me for days" he commented, then walked back towards the helm, scooped up his hat, and once more turned on his heels back to his cabin, shutting the door firmly behind him. Elizabeth stared after him dumbfounded. 

"Was he actually pleased that I hit him?" she asked incredulously.

"Aye I believe he was. I think he just wants us to treat him how we always treat him, and that's why he got so mad before. He's a proud man is Jack and he has every reason to be. You'll do well to remember who you are dealing with. The Captain has most definitely got something up his sleeve, but you'll not get it out of him until he deems the time right" Anamaria told the young English woman cryptically, and Elizabeth was further shocked when Will stepped forward to add his thoughts on the matter.

"Yes Jack will wait for the opportune moment and then share his plan with us" he told her, smiling at the familiar words. She smiled as realisation finally dawned and she understood what they were telling her. It was only when Will had spoken Jack's trademark phrase that she understood, that Jack was obviously planning some sort of trap for Harry Birch, and being tight lipped as he would, he wouldn't tell anybody what those plans were until he felt that they needed to know.

////

Harry Birch stood at the helm of his ship; none of his men dared approach him. He was already well known for his vile temper, but when the crew had seen what he and his partner had inflicted on the pirate captain they had taken captive, none of them had dared to cross the man. They all knew the stories of Jack Sparrow, yet none of them knew what he had done to get placed so firmly in their Captain's bad books. A lot of them had issues with their plan, they respected and admired the pirate, even more so after seeing him withstand such vicious torture and cruel words from Birch, yet their greed did funny things to them, and at the promise of financial reward their loose morals went out of the window. Now one of them had to work up the courage to go and report the latest on Sparrow's whereabouts to the Captain, and none of them relished the job. Finally the newest member of the crew was pushed forward, and left with little choice, he made his slow way up to the older man.

"Sir we have had word from Tortuga" he told him, and Harry spun around to face him. A silence stretched for an age, with neither man breaking it.

"And?" Harry prompted as if he were talking to an idiot.

"Word is that the Black Pearl were there not a week a go. Their Captain caused a stir into town, defeated some brute over the honour of a whore. Then sailed off the very next day" he told his Captain. Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"And this Captain? Did he have a name?" he asked.

"Aye sir, it was Jack Sparrow sir" the young lad replied, and leapt in fright when his Captain's hand struck hard down on the wood of the wheel, his anger needing to be vented somehow. The young bastard was alive and obviously healthy. He had achieved nothing, he had to find him, and this time he would make sure he pulled the trigger himself, daughter or no daughter. 

"And where pray tell is the Sparrow sailing next?" He asked, and the boy looked down at his feet.

"I don't know sir. That is all the information we could get" he replied quietly.

"What?" the Captain roared in anger. "You mean that that useless snippet is all that you could find out? What the hell do I pay you for?" he ranted, and before the lad could get a chance to defend himself, Harry had pulled his pistol, aimed at the boy's head and fired, without even a blink of an eye in recognition of the cold blooded murder he had just performed, he turned to the rest of his crew. "You best bring me more than that next time, else you'll be joining the lad here, you got me"? He demanded, and when everyone had muttered their agreement, each of them too afraid and shocked to argue, he turned back to his wheel yelling one final command over his shoulder. "And someone clean this mess up, useless buggers bleeding all over me deck" he told them, without taking his eyes away from the sea in front of him. 

/////

End Chapter Twenty Four

That's it for tonight! I hope that you are still enjoying this! Please let me know what you think, I welcome any feedback! I'm not sure how much I am going to be able to post the rest of  this week, as I have hurt my hand tonight at Tae Kwon Do, so typing is a bit of an issue. Luckily the next two chapters are already written, and ready to post, so tomorrow night should get a post, but no promises after that!


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Five

Thank you for the feedback you continue to give me! It means a lot and is great encouragement! Here is the luckily pre written chapter, no guarantees of an update tomorrow, but I will if I regain painless movement in my right hand in time. 

Please continue to review!!!!

Chapter Twenty Five

Jack remained in his cabin for most of the evening; he didn't surface for food, or for drink. No-one interrupted him, hoping that he was finally getting some much needed rest, although they all knew that that was unlikely. The crew seemed more at ease, now that they knew where they were heading they had a common goal, so set about their individual tasks, working in the close synchrony that had helped the Pearl to be so successful. Elizabeth and Will helped whether they could, yet compared with the crew of the pirate ship they were rank amateurs, and clearly felt it whenever they were unable to assist, they were growing increasing frustrated. Eventually they just perched down in the galley, assisted the chef whenever he needed help, or stuck to the unskilled tasks, of which there were few and far between. 

"What do you think Jack is going to Kingston for?" Elizabeth asked her fiancé as they sat waiting to be given a task. 

"I have no idea. I learnt a long time ago, not to try to work out what Jack is thinking, for I know I shall never fully understand the way that his mind works" Will responded, and Elizabeth grinned lightly. 

"Yes I expect you are right. We shall just have to wait and see what information he will give us as and when it suits him" she told him, rather haughtily. Will groaned, he knew that she was desperate to try and squeeze some more information out of the pirate Captain, but to do so would clearly be a fool's errand.

"Just leave him be. He knows what he is doing, and we just have to trust him" Will told her, keen to try to stop her from digging herself into a situation from which there would be no escape. Elizabeth sighed, she knew that Will was right, but she so wanted to know exactly what was going on.

"Its okay, I'm not going to go and ask him. You have my word Will Turner; I shall await this information until Captain Sparrow is prepared to give it willingly" she told him, and he leant forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Thank you" he told her and he meant it. No matter how much Jack tried to disguise the fact, the pirate Captain was weakened at the moment. His sudden onslaught of long since discarded memories that continually assailed his mind was certainly detrimental to his recovery, but to have a nagging woman on his back at the same time could be a catastrophe. 

////

Jack paced back and forth in his cabin, he shut himself a way just after the incident with Miss Swan, and didn't intend to surface until the next day. He was trying desperately to come up with some sort of plan. He had said Kingston for the simple fact that it was a good few days sailing away, and it would buy him time to come up with a more solid plane. His first thought had been to head straight to Julia Birch, Harry's third daughter, yet he had no doubt that Harry would have sent scouts out to track his travels, and to go to her would have been sending an invitation to Harry. His next thought had been Victoria Birch, but she had long since washed her hands of both Harry and Julia, and to some degree Jack himself. She had never gotten over seeing her sisters death, although at the time she had calmly somehow managed to get Jack back to his ship and nurse him back to health. She had soon after broken down, her dreams haunted with the dying breath of her sister. She had simply requested that Jack drop her off anywhere that wasn't where her father was, and not tell anybody. He had done as she had requested, and had only seen her on a handful of occasions since; she had been none too welcoming on any of them.

_Flashback_

_Jack stretched lazily as he finally stepped foot back on land. It had been some time indeed, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to balance as the ground stayed still beneath his feet instead of the rocking soothing motion of his ship against the waves. He was here for a purpose, he had to check on any old friend. When he had dropped __Victoria__ off at the __Island__ he had sworn to himself that once a year he would check on her it was the least that he owed Emma. This was the day that marked the first anniversary of that problem. His heart suddenly filled with darkness at the thought so the events of that very day exactly one year previous. He had just lost the love of his life, and __Victoria__ had just lost her sister. He sighed, things had never been the same since, yet he hoped he could remain friend with __Victoria__. He approached the house cautiously and knocked loudly on the door. A huge grin spread across his face as she answered._

_"Jack" she stated when she saw him._

_"In the living flesh" he responded, flashing her his newly white and gold grin. "How 'ave ya been Vicky?" he asked her, and was surprised when he didn't get a smile in response._

_"I'm just fine thank you Mr Sparrow. What can I do for you?" she asked her tone icy cold. Jack looked at her in amazement, he had never seen her face so impassive and her eyes so devoid of emotion._

_"I just came to check on ya, ya know make sure you're all right and that" he replied, unsure of himself._

_"And why wouldn't I be all right? Besides if I wasn't what would you do about it?" she asked, at last a flicker fop something present in her eyes._

_"Well I'd protect ya wouldn't I? Make sure that no one touched ya or hurt ya" he told her, and smiled shyly at his words, his smile was ripped viciously from his face with her next words._

_"Just like you protected Emma?" she asked him, and if she had put a bullet through him it would have hurt less. "I'd rather you didn't bother Jack, why don't you go and do some stealing elsewhere" she told him, and promptly shut the door on his bewildered face. _

_End Flashback_

Jack sighed at the memory, no there was no point in going to see Victoria, at least at Kingston there was plenty of open water. The Pearl could always get the upper hand in open seas, she had the natural speed and agility to turn tail and flee if necessary, and the sheer presence in the water to make any enemy flee in dread when she set her mind to it. Oh yes Jack was sure that one of those would be required, for he was certain that they would be seeing Harry Birch very soon.

End Chapter Twenty Five.

Yes Jack will be seeing Harry Birch soon, extremely soon!!! Just where the hell is Julia Birch? Why would Jack be ashamed of where he left her? Why is Harry suddenly so keen to find her?? Will Jack be able to face his nemesis when the time comes??

Well you know what you have to do to find out!!!


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Six

Hey there Shaz is back again! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! It is good to know that people are still reading this, and seem to like it. Please continue to let me know!

Chapter Twenty Six

"Do you think we should go and see if he's okay?" Ana asked Gibbs, when there was still no sign of their Captain some hours later. Gibbs looked a bit torn, he knew that the younger man was still healing from some pretty horrific wounds, and needed all of the rest that he could get, yet he would more than likely wish to be at the helm himself. 

"I don't know love, what ye reckon?" he asked her, passing the buck rather effectively.

"Maybe I'll just go and check on him, don't have to wake him up do I?" she suggested, and he grinned in agreement. He knew that that was what she had wanted to do all along; she was just too stubborn to admit it.

"Aye you do that lass" Gibbs agreed, trying unsuccessfully to hide his amusement. Anamaria shot the large man a scornful look over her shoulder, but refrained from verbalising her thoughts. She sighed dramatically and headed straight off to her Captain. She silently eased open the door of his cabin and peered around the doorway, she sighed deeply to herself when she saw her Captain slumped over on his chair sound asleep, as if exhaustion had claimed him half way through a thought. She smiled at the peaceful expression on his face, and gently spread a blanket out over his slumbering form, then she sat down on the only other chair in the room and contented herself with watching him sleep.

//////

Jack woke up slowly; he cracked his neck as his muscles protested at their awkward sleeping position. Carefully he got to his feet, and rubbed his hands over his face, he hadn't actually intended on falling asleep yet his body had clearly betrayed him once more. He groaned as his movements jarred stiff muscles, and then startled as he noticed another figure beside him fro the first time.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the obviously amused Ana. She chuckled lightly at him.

"Well it took ya long enough to notice I was 'ere didn't it?" she teased him, and he rolled his eyes at her.

"Of course I noticed ye was 'ere, but a Captain doesn't have to acknowledge his crew until he sees fit now does he?" he retorted, with the familiar gleam in his eye.

"Hmm, I'll take your word for it" Ana replied doubtfully, not believing for a second that he had noticed her, but knowing better than to press the point. "Just thought that you might like to know that we are only a few hours sail away from Kingston, you've slept two days away she told him, and got an immediate sense of satisfaction when his mouth literally dropped open at the news. He had honestly had no idea that he had slept that long. 

"Thank Ana" he replied softly. "I didn't mean to rest that long" he told her regretfully, and her heart melted at the expression on his face. Cautiously she approached him and squeezed hi arm.

"Captain you obviously needed your rest, you've been running on empty for days now, you had to give your body a chance to catch up. Now it has you'll be back to your old self in no time" she told him, and he nodded slightly.

"Less of the old" he commented after a while, then simply walked out of the cabin. She shook her head, glad to see a glimpse of the real Captain Jack coming through at last. 

//////

"The son of a bitch!" Harry Birch exclaimed when he finally arrived in Tortuga. Sure enough Jack Sparrow had been there, and he had been triumphant in a brawl, yet he was long since gone with no word as to where he was heading. Now he was really getting pissed, all he wanted to do was to capture Sparrow, torture him until he told him where his daughter was and then allow him a slow and very painful death, but no the sly little bastard had to keep getting away and making Harry play catch-up, and it was really beginning to get irritating. 

"Where next sir?" his first mate asked him, blissfully unaware of the hate and anger radiating from his Captain. Birch turned a scathing glance on the seaman, and the much smaller man visibly shrunk down.

"If I bloody well knew where to next then we wouldn't have a sodding problem would we. Unfortunately Sparrow hasn't left a little map with directions to his current location, so I don't bloody know where to next do I?" Harry Birch seethed at the other sailor, who was by now desperately trying to get as far away from his Captain as possible. His efforts were doubled when a malicious grin suddenly covered the Captain's face. "Actually I do know where to next. We may not be able to catch the Sparrow, but we can certainly grab someone he cares about. We sail for Port Paul" he told his first mate, his eyes gleaming and his body taking on a threatening air as his plans began to gather in his mind.

End Chapter Twenty Six

I am afraid that is all that is written in advance. I am going to try to write some more tomorrow, but I will have to see how it goes, no promises!!!! Please review though??!??


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Seven

Okay I my wrist is out of action for at least a week maybe up to three. I have got tendonitis of the flexer ulna apparently, caused by Tae Kwon Do, and made worse by me being stupid, and keeping going even though I knew I had hurt it, and then typing with it at work the next day. So when it heals I will slap my own wrist for my great display of stupidity! Anyway I am not just going to sit back and leave this story, I am just gonna have to type one handed, I would probably risk my right hand, but the fingers shake so badly at the moment that I would just end up hitting all the wrong keys! Anyways never fear because I will continue to write this story!!

Thank you so much for your reviews, it seriously means a lot! Please keep reading and reviewing!

Chapter Twenty Seven

Jack walked straight up to the helm, for once feeling refreshed, and much stronger than he had in weeks. He wouldn't admit should anyone ask, but he truly did feel much better for his long rest. Even his tender back felt less painful. He headed straight up to where Gibbs stood at the wheel, and gestured slightly. Upon noticing his Captain, Gibbs stepped to one side relinquishing the Pearl to her rightful owner, for Jack was undoubtedly the heart and soul of this particular ship.

"Good Morning Captain, good to see you up and about" Gibbs commented with a grin. 

"Yes Mr Gibbs, it is good to be up and about. Anamaria has just informed me about quite how long I was out of it, and to be honest I am a bit confused as to why she didn't wake me up" Jack told his first mate, and his confusion mounted as Gibbs chuckled lightly. 

"Well she'd have had a job waking ye up. See she went to check on you a few hours after you had gone off to your cabin. She came out a while later saying that you were asleep and she'd wake you up in a bit. Anyway she went to check on you, told us she'd wake ye and that was the last we saw of her until an hour ago. See thing is Ana fell asleep herself and only woke up about an hour before you did yourself" Gibbs told his Captain, barely disguising his amusement.

"Ah, she omitted that from what she told me" Jack responded, storing the information away for future ammunition. "Go on Gibb, get yourself away for some rest" the Captain ordered, and Gibbs simply nodded and then obeyed.

/////

Harry Birch, stood at the rail looking out to sea, his mind conjuring various ways of causing Jack Sparrow an extremely painful death, all he had to do was catch the slippery bastard, then he would make him suffer the same way that Harry himself had suffered over all of these years. He was pulled out of his thoughts by his first mate appearing beside him.

"Sir, we will be at Port Paul before sun down" he told his Captain, he hated how nervous he always felt around the older man, yet somehow he couldn't help the feeling of unease that always surfaced around him. "What exactly are we going to find when we get there?" he asked, and almost bit his tongue off when he realised he had spoken aloud. To his amazement for once he didn't receive a sarcastic response. 

"My dear boy, we are there to sack the town, and take the biggest prize of all, someone that Jack Sparrow truly does care about, someone he will dash to the rescue of, because that is the sort of foolish boy the Captain is" Harry told him, his mad grin once more crossing his face, he was finally enjoying this game.

/////

"I'm surprised he didn't get angry at you! You really didn't tell him that you had fallen asleep yourself?" Elizabeth asked her new found friend, who would have thought that the two women from completely different Worlds would get on as famously.

"No, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction" Ana replied, and the two once more fell about laughing at the Captain's expense. "Bless him, he did need the rest though" Ana continued sobering slightly as her mind conjured up the images of Jack's magnitude of injuries. 

"Yes. Not that he'd ever admit it" Elizabeth commented. "He seems to confide in you though" she retorted to her friend. She had caught on the way that the two pirates felt for each other, even though they were both far too stubborn to admit it. 

"Only when it serves his purpose, opportune moment and all that" Ana replied, she was no fool, she knew what Elizabeth was trying to insinuate, and there was no way she was going to rise to the bait. The younger woman nodded in acknowledgement, deciding not to push for the moment, she had bigger fish to fry, starting with the Captain himself.

/////

Jack felt better than he had in a very long time. He was surrounded by all of his friends; he had finally got a good night's sleep and he was stood at the helm of his ship. The Black Pearl was undoubtedly his freedom; of course he knew that he played his part in her legend, but without the Pearl nobody would ever have heard of Captain Jack Sparrow, of that he was sure. Of course Jack also knew that without Captain Jack Sparrow the Pearl's legend would have died with Barbossa, but he was still immensely grateful that they had both managed to survive the ten years without each other's company. No it was fair to say that without the Pearl Jack may have given up on life a long time ago, and to some respect without Jack the Pearl may have done the same. He sighed those ten years awaiting the opportune moment to get his hands back on his beloved ship had been the longest and most difficult of his life, yet in comparison to the day his love had been murdered by her father's hand they were a walk in the park. That was the way that life worked, Jack knew better than most that you had to take the highs with the lows and the rough with the smooth, as without the lows and the rough you would never fully appreciate the highs and the smooth. He chuckled at his own thoughts as he lightly caressed the smooth wood of the helm, he wasn't drunk enough to be thinking thoughts that deep. He smiled ruefully then leant down to pick up his previously discarded bottle of rum; it was time to rectify that situation.

/////

Just as night was darkening the sky, and the sun was making way for the moon, Harry Birch and his crew of miscreants were disembarking from their vessel, and walking into the outskirts of Kingston, each of them heavily armed and with a strict mission in mind. Harry chuckled to himself, yes things were running to plan, his revenge would be granted soon enough, but first a little fun.

"Right you good for nothing dogs, get to work!" he yelled, and the town suddenly took on an image of chaos as one by one swords were unsheathed and innocents slain and left to bleed in the dirt. The band of one time sailors showed no mercy and offered no quarter as they ransacked the entire settlement; man after man fell to the dusty path, given no chance for negotiations and no chance to defend themselves. The group rifled through the pockets of their victims taking anything they could find that may be of value, ensuring that there was no doubt of their intentions. Stood to one side was Scott Orchid, the first mate of the White Knight, his stomach rebelled at the carnage in front of him. He gagged as the bile rose up in his throat, and turned to one side as he retched. 

"This is wrong" he muttered as the bodies mounted, he knew that these people had done nothing to deserve this sort of death, and there was no honour in these killings, this was out right cold blooded murder, and he for one would play no part in it. That is not to say that we would offer his own life by trying to stop it either. He looked across where Harry Birch stood surveying the scene in front of him, and Scott felt the rage boil up in him as he saw the smile of satisfaction on the Captain's face. The crew had no quarrel with these people, this battle was meaningless, and they had achieved nothing except to waste a number of lives for no good reason. Scott shook his head to himself. Maybe he was suicidal after all he thought as he took a deep breath and approached the man he had grown to despise. 

"Captain, what are we doing? I thought the plan was to leave people to tell the tale, to leave no doubt in Sparrow's mind who was responsible" he asked, praying that Birch would be inclined to listen to him. He knew that the Captain would show no reasoning and no pity for the poor folk of the area, but when it was his own cleverness and greed brought into question, well that was a different story. 

"Aye it is lad" he replied, confused where the first mate was heading.

"But they have killed nearly every occupant" he responded, gesturing at the mass of corpses that littered the grounds. Harry heaved a long suffering sigh then placed too fingers in his mouth and whistled the shrill noise bringing the crew to a stop. 

"That's enough, gotta leave some to spread the word huh?" he told them. "Now we grab the girl" he ordered, and with grunts of dissatisfaction the crew stepped away from their handiwork, and Scott heaved a huge sigh of relief. It didn't last long as he saw the entire crew heading after the Captain in search of the precious thing that they had come for. He came to a stop just outside a little cottage, grinned broadly and knocked on the door. A beautiful young woman opened the door to the view of the group of bloodied men.

"Hello love" he greeted her, showing his now rotten teeth. All of the colour drained from her fair face, as she caught sight of who stood in front of her.

"Father" she gasped, and promptly passed out.

End chapter Twenty Seven

That's it for now, just a mini cliff-hanger to keep you interested!!! Please don't forget to press that little button just below, come on you know you can do it!!!!!


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Eight

Hey guys, thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! And thank you for being so understanding of possible delays in chapters being posted. I have got to just tell you that this really sucks!  Some of the best weather we have had in months, my lovely horse stood in the field just looking at me begging for a ride, blazing sun in the sky and an open field that leads to a nice cooling river. Here's me just itching to jump in the saddle, and tear off in a canter across the fields jump a couple of ditches and feel the breeze against my face, but can I do it? Oh no I have to waste the best weather for ages because of my stupid poxy wrist!!! You can bet as soon as it heels enough for a gentle ride it'll be hammering down with rain, it just isn't fair!!!! Anyway I'm going to stop moaning now before you all press the back button out of this story!!! Please keep the reviews coming- reading them gives me something to do!!

Chapter Twenty Eight

Jack didn't move from his position all day, it felt so good to be back where he truly belonged that he didn't really wish to leave. He sighed to himself, it would only be a matter of hours before they arrived at their destination and Jack had something that he wished to do first. Reluctantly he turned around and gestured his first mate across. Wordlessly he handed the older man the wheel and set off back to his cabin. He had some letters to write.

////

The woman awoke slowly, she opened her eyes to unfamiliar surrounding, and the ground seemed to be moving beneath her. She closed her eyes once more, hoping to settle her stomach that was currently threatening to rebel. She took a few deep breaths, and when she had managed to compose herself she cast her mind back trying to recall exactly how she had ended up where wherever she was at that moment. Her eyes flew open as the memories came back her full force, she groaned in realisation, and then suddenly wished that she could have remained ignorant for a little while longer. Her thoughts were interrupted by a door opening, and she turned her full attention towards whoever was coming towards her, she sighed in relief when it was a young man stood before her and not in fact her father.

"Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep the fear from her voice. She was all too aware of how dangerous her father could be, so it stood to reason that any of his associates would be the same way inclined. 

"My name is Scott Orchid, I'm the first mate" he told her. He stepped closer so that only the bars of the brig separated them. This part of the ship had been a new addition paid for by Harry, all as part of the extravagant plan for the old man to get his revenge on Jack Sparrow. He sighed, he was taking a huge risk by going to talk to the girl, but he couldn't stand back and see more people killed out of vengeance, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did. "Listen, I can't stay here long, I shouldn't even be here. Your father has snatched you because he is planning on using you against somebody that you know, somebody that cares about you enough to risk his own life to come and rescue you" he told her, desperate that she should understand her current situation. 

"Who? Who would care for me enough to get killed because of me?" she asked him shocked by his words.

"Captain Jack Sparrow" he replied, and at those words she felt her World crash down around her, as her past came rushing up to meet her.

/////

Jack sat down at his desk, parchment spread out in front of him, and quill in his hand. Yet the paper remained blank, as he struggled to gather his thoughts together enough to put them into words. He sighed in frustration, in his mind it was all perfectly clear, yet it was difficult to put things down on paper. He shook his head, took a deep breath and with new determination allowed his thoughts to lead his hand.

_Dear Vicky,_

_I know that you may not want to hear from me, you made it clear the last time that we spoke. I am sorry you feel that way, but I can't help but still worry about you. I wouldn't have contacted you since you obviously don't wish to have any contact, but I recently had a run in with your father. He is looking for Julie. He is really desperate to find her, and I think he will do anything to find out where she is. I didn't tell him, to be honest with you, by the time he had finished with me I don't think I could have told him even if I had wanted to. Anyway the only people that know where she is, are me and you. I don't know if Harry knows that you know, I ain't told him that you know, but you may still be in danger. Vicky please just go away for a bit, I don't want to risk him grabbing you either t get information from ya or because he thinks he can use you against me. Just don't let him get you. I promise that if you do this for me I won't bother you again, just believe when I say that no matter what you think of me, all I ever wanted was for you to all be safe. If I could turn back time I would have left your family alone long before Harry found out about me way of life, I hope that one day you will forgive me._

_Be safe_

_Yours _

_Jack_

Jack read through what he had just written and sighed, sure it wasn't the most articulate way of putting his point across, but it'd have to do. He didn't have long left until they would arrive at port and he still had another letter to write. 

/////

"Why on Earth would he use me to get at Jack? I haven't even seen him in years!" she asked after the initial shock had worn off slightly.

"Your father knows how highly Captain Sparrow held you and your sisters; he also knew that you helped to get him to safety the last time that you saw your father. He seems to think that by taking you he will come running to your aid. From what I have seen of Captain Sparrow I fear he may be correct" he told her sadly in reply. She fought against the tears that welled up in her eyes. Would Jack truly wish to save her? They hadn't parted on very good terms last time that they had met, could this man really be telling her the truth.

"What does my father want from Jack?" she asked, still confused by whatever was going on around her. 

"He wants some information that the Captain has got. Then he wants to kill him" Scott replied, his tone almost sorrowful.

"What? He can't kill him, we have to stop him" she responded, her voice rising as she spoke.

"Shh. He'll hear you and then we're both done for. I don't want Captain Sparrow to be killed either, it is up to you to stop that from happening. If he comes here to rescue you that is undoubtedly going to be the outcome. You need to speak with your father, see if you can do something to stop him" he told her, though even as he spoke the words he knew that there was little chance. 

"Okay I'll do that when I can. What are you going to do?" she asked him, still not fully trusting him. 

"I have already done far too much" he responded, then left her once more in the darkness. She shook her head to herself, she was sure that she could see the fear in his eyes.

////

Jack folded the letter carefully and scrawled the address on the envelope in his unique flamboyant style, before turning to pick up the next piece of paper, this letter was infinitely easier to write.

_Dearest Julia_

_Please forgive me for writing to you when I swore I would never contact you, but honestly I couldn't avoid it this time. A few months ago your father snatched me off me ship, he was wanting information. He wanted to know where you were, I swear I never told him, I wouldn't do that to ya. The thing is I got away when me crew rescued me, but I ain't sure what he is going to do next, for all I know he could be following us from a distance or going after Victoria, and she knows where you are too. I need ya to disappear for a bit, just go wherever you can where you know you will be safe, and don't tell anybody where you are going. If he gets his hands on you I don't know what he'll do, but whatever it is it won't be good. Please just make sure you are safe, I would never forgive meself if something happened to you cos of me, it's bad enough Emma, I don't want anymore blood on my hands. _

_Please do as I ask, trust me just this once._

_Yours_

_ Jack_

Jack didn't bother re-reading this letter as he knew that he had said everything that he needed to say. He simply folded it and wrote the address on the envelope then headed back on deck. He went straight to the helm, Gibbs still stood where Jack had left him.

"Mr Gibbs, when we dock I need for you to arrange to get these letters sent as soon as possible" he told his first mate, handing him the two envelopes. Gibbs raised an eyebrow at the unusual request and took a closer look at the addresses written on them, neither of them stated names, just addresses which confused the older man further.

"Who do you know that lives in Port Paul?" he asked his Captain, puzzled by the usual address.

"Just an old friend" Jack replied refusing to go into greater detail. Gibbs simply nodded, not ready to push his Captain where he didn't want to go. Jack was grateful for that mercy, and relieved that he had written those two letters, of course unknown to him, his warning was already coming too late for one of the recipients.

End Chapter Twenty Eight

That's it for now, hopefully more tomorrow, but I'll have to see how it goes!!! Please review!!!!!


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Twenty Nine

Ya know I drove all the way into work, with one hand I might add (unless you are a copper and then honestly I used two!), struggled the whole way. Sat down at my computer, arm throbbing, didn't complain once. Then my supervisors came in and said;"Sharron should you be here?" it's like well duh!! I can't bend my hand at the wrist or bend my fingers, can't type at all with that hand, yet still went in, and she tried to send me home!!! I only went in the first place because I felt guilty for being off sick on Friday with it!! Sigh, I wish I had stayed in bed!!

Wow thank you all for your reviews it means a lot! Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I couldn't quite manage two posts in one night yesterday. Anyway here is the next chapter- don't forget to review!

Chapter Twenty Nine

Victoria Birch paced up and down in her small holding cell. Her mind was in turmoil at the revelations of the day. What if the sailor was telling the truth, and Jack truly did still care enough to come and rescue her? When she had last seen the Captain, she had been rather abrupt with him. The problem was that just looking at him brought back all the hurt of the past; he stood for everything that she had been trying to forget. The last words that she had spoken to him suggested that she held him responsible for her sister's death, in truth she didn't and she never really had. It was just so hard to accept that Emma was truly gone, killed so suddenly by their own father. Whenever she looked at Jack or thought about the pirate it wasn't all of the good memories that sprung to mind. No, I wasn't the many weeks of laughter and fun and games, and the beautiful trinkets that he always brought back for his favourite girls. It wasn't the memory of the touching memory of the night that the two got engaged, the joyful laughter of her sister, and the shy smile of Jack. No it was seeing her sister shot through the head at point blank range, and then left to bleed to death on the dirty road. She had once loved Jack like a brother, yet now she resented him. If it hadn't been for him she would not have had to leave her family behind and live a life of solitude for so long, away from the love of her family. If it hadn't of been for Jack then Emma would still have been alive. 

/////

Julia Birch breathed in the fresh ocean air. She sighed deeply; this had been her home for many years now. She had left the bosom of her family a lot earlier than she had wanted to, yet she had had no choice. She shook her head, every now and again she got lost in a downward spiral as her depressive thoughts followed her around. When she had been a young child living at home without a suitor, just with her sisters and her father, she had been so happy. Life had seemed so simple and easy, now she lived all alone on this tiny island, with only a small population. Nobody here knew where she came from; they had learnt long ago not to ask. Nobody bothered her, they had seem who had dropped her off at the island, they had plainly noticed who had given her a friendly hug as he had left her standing there alone, yes people knew better than to try anything with a good friend of Captain Jack Sparrow. She almost giggled at the thought, if only they knew how soft Jack truly was, there was no way he could hurt anybody without provocation. She had only ever seen him even raise his voice once in anger, and that had been at her father, the day he had killed the love of Jack's life, her sister. Jack had always been charming towards her, and pirate or not, he was clearly a decent man. She only wished that her father had been able to see through the way of life to the man beneath it. He had known Jack for so long, claimed to love him as a son, yet hadn't hesitated to reject him when he found out about his piracy. That wasn't love, love was unconditional the way that Emma and Jack had loved each other, if he had truly loved Jack he would have accepted him no matter what. Julia had learnt that a long time ago, and she suspected that Jack had too. Yet maybe if their family had never even met Jack Sparrow. Then none of this would have happened, and she would still be happy, she would still have her family. 

/////

Jack hummed to himself, most of the crew had disembarked as soon as they had made berth at Kingston, keen to unwind after a harrowing few months. Jack didn't blame them, he wished that he could relax enough to join them, yet he dare not let his guard down enough. He knew that Harry wouldn't be give up that easily, he would try again. Jack just had to make sure that he was ready when he did.

////

Harry Birch hummed to himself as he stood at the helm of his ship; his plan was falling nicely into place. He had managed to get hold of the girl with little or no fuss whatsoever; it had almost been too easy. The girl he had taken had once been his eldest daughter; he had actually respected her at one point, another thing that the pirate had cost him. She had always followed him in whatever he decided, she didn't rebel against him like Emma seemed want to do, she was smart and proud. She was the apple of his eye, but then along came Sparrow, and she kept secrets from her father. She had known all along that Jack was a pirate both of them had, yet neither of them had told him, despite the fact that they knew his feelings on the subject. The worst thing was, he would have been willing to forgive her that, forget it ever happened, but then she had tended to the injured pirate, hell she had even got him back to his ship safely and then sailed away with him. No he could kill her all right, for from that day onwards she had stopped meaning anything to him.

/////

Joshua Gibbs stood leaning against the railings of the Black Pearl, he was stood beside his friend Anamaria, and the two pirates were trying to keep a subtle watch on their Captain, of course subtle wasn't actually a word that appeared in either of their dictionaries. They both knew that Jack knew that they were watching him. Yet none of them would admit what they knew. It was as though Jack couldn't quite work up the effort to be bothered enough to turn around and both of the junior crew members were too stubborn to admit that they had been caught once again, it was a cycle that went around and around, but since no harm was caused all parties were willing to keep it that way. 

//////

Elizabeth Swan and William Turner loitered in the galley of the ship, neither really had any desire to go ashore at that moment, and neither really wanted to go on deck, as they were well aware that Ana and Gibbs were keeping a discreet eye on their Captain, yet they also knew that Jack would not be best pleased when he unavoidably found out.

"What do you want to do?" Will asked his fiancée quietly.

"Let's just go back to the cabin and talk for a while alone" she responded playfully, his face lit up with her words, and he nodded enthusiastically. She giggled despite herself, and together the two headed off hand in hand.

End Chapter Twenty Nine

Okay okay not very eventful, but filler chapters are sometimes required in these things! Sorry if you found that boring, it heats up a little in the next chappy!!


	30. Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Okay guys sorry for the delay! I was hoping to post sooner, but it is really slow going at the moment!  I have been back to docs today and hoped to get rid of the ihard brace!! But no! Gotta keep it on for another two and a half weeks!!!! I mean come on! I have fan fic to write! Do they not understand! Any way the one handed typing looks like it is going to last another few weeks at least, so sorry for delays in updates! I will try my best!

Thank you once again for all of your kind words, they keep me going!!

Chapter Thirty

"Jack how long are ya planning on staying here for, it's been a week, and the crew are getting a bit restless?" Ana asked her Captain, partially pleased that he was looking a lot better for the week's rest he had managed to get, but concerned as to what his plans may be. Jack sighed, a long suffering motion, and turned to look at the dark woman beside him.

"How the hell is Harry supposed to catch up with us if we don't give em long enough to catch up huh?" he asked her, as if it was the most logical thing in the World. She started at his words, and seemed to struggle to formulate a sentence that summed up her feelings for a few moments, eventually she settled for the language she spoke best, and drew back her hand, landing a resounding slap against her friend's face. "I don't think I deserved that" he muttered, the familiar glint in his eye and smirk on his face.

"Jack you bloody fool! You are using yourself as bait! He'll kill ya if he finds ya, what the hell are you playing at?" she asked him, her voice clearly laced with the anger that she felt. Jack sighed once more, and looked at her; she softened immediately at the emotion in his eyes. 

"Ana, I gotta do it. If he can't get me he'll go for someone else, and pirate or not I couldn't with that" he told her sincerely. She sighed, knowing he spoke the truth and understanding his reasoning, yet that did not mean she liked it. 

"Okay, okay. I can understand that, but I don't like it Jack, and I ain't letting ya out of me sight until I know that Harry Birch has a nice new home lost to Davy Jones locker" she told him seriously, and he grinned at her words.

"I wouldn't have it any other way love" he told her, with a wink, and then strolled off across his deck. 

/////

Scott Orchid paced up and down, sometimes he really hated the choices he had made in life. Here he was working for a complete bastard of a man, a man who at this moment in time was plotting the death of a uniquely honourable pirate, and Scott had to try to be loyal to him, yet he hated him passionately. He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, his thoughts kept drifting to the beautiful woman locked in the brig below deck, and her strange link to the infamous pirate Captain. He had just heard word from one of their contacts that Jack Sparrow was still with the Pearl, and was currently at port in Kingston, and had been for at least the last few days. He knew that if he told his Captain this new information, it would earn him the older man's trust yet, was it really worth a man's life. If he didn't tell Birch, and then the Captain found out that he knew all along he would undoubtedly be killed there and then. He paced once more, sure that if he kept it up he would burn a hole in the deck. 

/////

Julia Birch hummed to herself as she walked along the desolate street, picking up the few items that she required to live her uncomplicated life. However that day something changed, she actually had a letter. She looked at it in confusion as she saw where it had come from, and gasped when she saw the distinct flamboyant script that she had not seen for some years.  Her shopping suddenly forgotten the young woman dashed home, ignoring the few glances she received for her strange behaviour. As son as she got through her door, she shut and locked it behind her, and walked up and down just staring at the letter. What on earth could Jack want after all this time? She took a deep breath before slowly tearing the letter open. It took her just a few seconds to read through his words. She felt hot tears gather in her eyes. She had just got settled and happy in her life, and then along came Captain Jack Sparrow once more stirring things up. Just as she had learnt to exist alone, and got to know her fellow inhabitants here he was asking her to leave everything behind. She gulped back past the lump in her throat. She didn't know if she could do it again, she had walked away from everything she had ever known once. Left behind everyone she loved, and not seen them again. She doubted she would ever speak to her remaining sister again, too much water had past under the bridge, and now Jack Sparrow popped up again as if from nowhere telling her she had to do it all again, and she wasn't sure that she could. She shook her head; she was not going to cry over that man again, she would not allow him to hurt her anymore.

/////

End Chapter Thirty

Sorry guys that's it for now! I will try for more over the weekend! Please don't forget to review!


	31. Chapter Thirty One

Chapter Thirty One

Thank you all once more for your wonderful reviews, it really means a lot that you are still reading this and seemingly enjoying it! Please keep reviewing! Sorry for the delay, but I am in the process of moving house! Means no broadband for a week from Friday, but I'm gonna try and set up a modem connection for the interim!

Chapter Thirty One

Victoria sank down to the corner of her holding cell; she honestly did not know what to do. She knew where her sister was, but she hadn't had any contact with her since they had parted ways years previously.  They had always had very different opinions on life, and sometimes those opinions clashed so severely that they couldn't even bare to be in the same town as each other, let alone the same house. Julia had disagreed with Victoria and Emma being so close to Jack, she had always thought that they should have told their father the truth about the younger man. The child had only seen Jack as a pirate, and being such a young age she had believed everything that her father had told her about pirates, that they were the scourge of the community and shouldn't be trusted. She had begged and pleaded with her older sisters to tell their father the truth, yet they had resisted, they had loved jack far too much to give him up without a fight. Of course Jack himself had known none of this, and would more than likely have been extremely hurt had he known exactly what the young Julia Birch had thought of him. In the end both Emma and Victoria had chosen Jack over Julia, and the young girl had never forgiven any of them for it, yet even after everything that had happened Victoria was still sure she had made the right choice. She sighed, life was full of those difficult decisions, and she had had far more than her fair share, another one was coming up very son, and she still hadn't quite decided which way she was going to go. 

////

Jack hummed to himself as he strolled up and down the deck of his beloved ship, he always felt better when he had a set course of action in his mind. He was determined that none of his friends would come to any harm because of him, he had vowed to himself many years a go, that he would protect his crew, better than he had been protected himself, and it was avow that he intended to keep. He was sure that Harry would come looking for him, and he was damn sure that when he found him Jack would be ready for him. He chuckled to himself, Anamaria was going to kill him herself, with her bare hands, if she ever found out what he was truly up to. Luckily by the time she discovered the intricate details of his idea it would be too late, for there was no way he would let slip exactly what he was planning before the opportune moment.

////

Scott Orchid took a deep breath, he hated himself for what he was about to do, but he'd hate himself even more if he allowed Harry Birch to take his life, and that is exactly what would happened if he didn't fill his Captain in as soon as possible. He strolled up to the larger man hesitantly.

"Captain, I bring news on Sparrow" he told him, Harry whirled around to face him, his eyebrow arched in question. 

"Yes? Well spit it out man! What about Sparrow?" he asked rudely, for Harry no longer knew the meaning of the word manners, other than when it suited him that is. Scott sighed to himself, he really didn't despise this brute, yet for the moment he had to play along.

"One of the scouts has sent word. The Pearl has made berth at Kingston, Jack Sparrow is still aboard, and it seems they have remained there for some time. Apparently the Captain is injured and needed to sanctuary of the port to recuperate" Scott told his Captain, and felt like punching the man square in the face at the satisfied smirk that crossed it. Harry chuckled.

"Well then, looks like we did the little birdy some damage after all. We set sail immediately, we are going to re-cage the little Sparrow" Harry ordered his crew, and too frightened to disobey they reluctantly went about his instruction. They all knew all too well of Jack's reputation, and had seen how strong wiled the infamous pirate Captain was when they had last met him, they didn't really have any desire to test him once more yet they valued the prize on his head so they did as they were bid. 

/////

"Where are we going?" Victoria asked Scott when he managed to sneak away to see her later that day. She had felt the movement of the ship alter as she had set sail in a new direction.

"We are off to Kingston, we have received word that that is where Captain Sparrow if docked" he told her, deliberately leaving out his part in this piece of information. 

"he'll kill him when he finds him won't he?" she asked sadly, she may not have seen eye to eye with Jack in recent years, yet a part of her still felt fondly towards the pirate.

"Yes undoubtedly" Scott replied. Victoria sighed deeply, her decision now clearly made.

"Okay, get him here. Bring my father down to me, I have some information for him" she told the first mate. Scott turned a surprised gaze her way, shocked at this turn of events. "Quickly do as I say, this is all I can do to help him" she hissed at him, gesturing wildly for him to follow her command. He back tracked quickly and an up to collect the older man, he returned in minutes and Victoria was nervously walking up and down yet again. 

"What?" Harry asked, wasting no time with formalities. She rolled her eyes, an onlooker would never have been able to tell that these two were related. 

"I have something that may be of use to you" she told him, her voice deceptively calm.

"You have already served your use, what else could you possibly have to give?" he asked her his tone tired and bored, clearly showing how he felt about her. She sighed, almost changing her mind, then her brain conjured up images of what her father would do to jack should he be allowed to catch him,

"I can tell you where Julia is" she told him, and got a huge feeling of satisfaction at the look on his face. 

End Chapter Thirty One

That's it guys, please review!!!!!


	32. Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Two

Hey guys thank you all so very much for you wonderful reviews, I hope you will keep them coming.

Here is the next chapter, sorry for the delay, it has been especially hectic this week, but should be back on track from now!

Anyway many thank to the wonderful Jackfan2 (round of applause!) for beta reading this for me! She did so much quicker than expected and I think her changes made a lot of difference, so thank you!!

Anyway on with my story, hey its quite a long chappy this time!!

This is reposted after I made a complete balls up with the original version by getting the names all the wrong way around! Anyway sorry hopefully this should read better!

Chapter Thirty Two

Jack paced up and down the deck. Ana swore that if he passed her one more time she really would swing for him, and as he passed her, again, she had to refrain from sticking her foot out in an attempt to stop him. In the last couple of days, his pacing had gotten more and more frantic, and he muttered to himself as he walked.

"Jack for God sake Captain, will you stop ya walking up and down, you're making me dizzy!" she told him. He turned quickly around to face her, rocking on his heels as he did so. "What is up with you anyway?" she asked him, confused by his erratic behaviour.

"He should be here by now." Jack hissed angrily. Ana looked at him obviously confused, and greatly unused to seeing him actually looking angry.

"Who should?" she asked, and he rolled his eyes at her, as if it was the dumbest question he had heard.

"Harry of course," he told her, and she startled finally realising what had him so het up.

"What are you up to Jack?" she asked him, suspicion in her voice.

"Ana love, I already told ya. I want him to come to us, so that he don't go after Vicky or Emma" he replied innocently, yet Ana had known him for far too long and didn't believe him for a second.

"Yeah, but what are you really up to? Come on Jack spill the plan?" she prompted him, stepping closer, as if expecting him to let her in on some big secret.

"Captain, love, Captain," he told her, then turned on his heel and walked away, effectively ending the conversation. She slammed her hand against the wood of the rail in frustration; no one could wind her up quite like Jack.

Harry hummed to himself; things were working out even better than he thought.

Even in his own mind he had always doubted that Jack Sparrow would ever tell him where Emma was. The man was too tough a nut to crack. Sparrow was, and always had been resilient, and Harry guessed that his string hatred spurred him on further.

No, Sparrow would never give Harry the satisfaction of breaking him. The pirates' damn stubborn streak would have always prevented that, but now thanks to his lovely daughter, Victoria, he wouldn't need the Sparrow to sing. He had the information that he needed, and he was going to make sure he made good use of it. That would then give him plenty of time to make further plans for exactly what to do about the pirate Captain.

He chuckled; yes he was certainly going to have some fun there.

Julia Birch strolled alone along the sandy beach; Jack's letter remained on her mind. Even as much as she tried to ignore it, it kept nagging at her.

A part of her was touched that he still seemed concerned for her welfare despite everything that had happened, then the rest of her hated herself for even caring what a filthy pirate thought of her. The trouble was she still felt that the letter was truthful; if she was in danger she had no defences. She was out there all alone, no body knew where she was, and it was doubtful that anyone would really notice should she go missing. She just couldn't bring herself to pack up and go, she had lost far too much in her short life to walk away again, besides her father wouldn't hurt her anyway, would he?

Victoria walked up and down the brig, covering the width of her cell in two strides. Ever since her father had left she had been wondering if she had done the right thing.

Her mind was split firmly in two. On one hand she doubted that her father would actually harm her sister in any way. Julia was the favourite child, the baby of the family why would Harry want to hurt her? Then she reminded herself that Harry had always been very close to Emma, yet he hadn't hesitated to put a bullet through her head. Why should Julia be any different? 

Frustrated, she sighed once more. In a quandary, she honestly didn't know what to do. With no way of warning Jack or Julia of her father's intentions, she felt useless. Although, to be honest, she wasn't totally clear on what Harry's plans were anyway. The trouble was that Jack was effectively blind. The pirate knew sketchy details but he didn't know that Harry would soon have both girls to use as leverage. Too, he didn't know that it was more than likely that Julia would choose her father's side; after all it was the side she had taken all of those years ago.

_Flashback_

__

__

_Julia watched as her father brutally pushed his long time friend and surrogate son to the floor. Frozen in one spot, she didn__'__t utter a sound. Not even when she saw her two older sister__s__ leap to the young man__'__s defence. Instead, she closed her eyes as her father viciously kicked the pirate repeatedly in his mid section_

_That hadn__'__t been entirely true, though. One time, when she__'__d opened her eyes, she__'__d gasped at the sight of  her oldest sister when she leaped on Harry__'__s back, clawing at his face to get him to leave Sparrow alone. In her hiding spot she remained as she watched with terrified eyes her father strike out at both of her sisters. She didn__'__t move to help them, for if she had she knew that Harry would harm her as well, she may be young but she wasn__'__t stupid._

_In a lot of ways she was secretly pleased that Jack Sparrow was finally going to be out of their lives. Down deep inside, she__'__d always been slightly jealous of the relationship the two men shared.. Sure, she knew that Harry loved her, but she knew too that he__'__d always longed for a son., When Jack came into their lives, she saw the look in her father__'__s eyes and knew exactly how deeply he cared for the young man. _

_Not after tonight, though. This would be the end and finally he would be gone. Things would finally be back to normal and she would undoubtedly receive a larger share of his affections. She grinned to herself; yes life was going to be much better, now the three girls had their dad to themselves. _

_The sounds of laboured breathing brought her attention suddenly back to the scuffle occurring in front of her. Harry now held Jack around the throat, cutting off his air. It would have been comical if not for the colour blue that Jack__'__s lips were turning and the angry look on Harry__'__s face. With a sigh, Julia had just decided to help when __Victoria__ launched herself at her father__'__s back. The attack was easily deflected as she was callously tossed aside. However it did the trick and Jack was released to slump unconscious to the floor. _

_Manic, Harry then turned his attention to Julia who sat sobbing on the floor._

__

_"You bastard you killed him!__"__ she hissed at her father. _

_Julia gasped. How dare her sister talk to Harry like that? She should respect their father; he had earned it, and look at what he had just done to defend their honour. _

__

_"No dear, I haven__'__t killed him,__"__ he replied, his voice soft and calm._

_All three girls turned to look at the pirate laid out on the floor. While his breath came in short gasps, he was most definitely alive. _

_"__I have killed you though,__"__ Harry continued. He then raised his gun and pulled the trigger._

_Luckily, Julia managed to close her eyes just in time. However, as the blood-curdling scream of  the  pirate reached her ears, she knew, Jack hadn__'__t been so lucky. _

__

__

_End Flashback._

__

__

__

Victoria balled her fists in anger; she had hardly believed her eyes when she discovered Julia hiding around the corner. Angrily she realized that her little sister had watched the entire scene without a hint of help. She shook her head at the thought. At the time she had been too preoccupied with getting Jack to safety more than with anything else. Emma's lack of assistance in Jack's defence, as time passed, had made her angrier and angrier.

Sure she had been very young, but she was old enough to know right from wrong, and she had certainly been wrong.

__

_Flashback_

__

__

_Victoria__ froze. Stunned as she watched her father pull the trigger and shoot her closest sister. Jack__'__s scream had reached her ears, but the next time she looked over at him he was deeply unconscious., Obviously, the shock from the beating and from__…__ this had pushed him that little step too far. In his mind he__'__d found his escape to the darkness was the safest option. _

_She was speechless. A heavy silence filled the air for what felt like an eternity. Suddenly, a tiny sound drew her attention, and when she turned to look she felt bile rise in her throat. Her darling sister was still alive, yet it was obvious she would not stay that way for log. Her beautiful face was almost unrecognisable, and blood bubbled from her nose and ears. Her eyes were open, and seemed to be staring where Jack lay, yet __Victoria__ doubted her sister could see anything. _

_Harry chuckled at his daughter__'__s suffering, seemingly drawing some satisfaction from the pain he had cause his family. Victoria now stared at him, too shocked to react._

_Another shot fired and she was dragged violently from her thoughts. The spent rapport echoed in the room, but this time she managed to look away. In her heart,  she knew that now her sister was undoubtedly dead. _

_The thought of such a callous act caused her vision to blur and rage boiled over. In the fog of her anger she physically tackled her unsuspecting father to the floor, repeatedly punching him over and over until he stopped moving all together. Finally when she saw him still, and felt his struggles cease, she rocked back on her heels. A part of her felt like finishing the job, but then why shouldn__'__t he have to live with what he had done? _

_Wearily she pushed to her feet and staggered over to where the pirate lay spread out on the ground. Assessing his condition she noted first his face, a bruised and bloody mess. Blue from Harry__'__s attempt to strangle him, his throat was not only discoloured, but swollen as well. There had to be more, though and  the Lord alone knew what internal damage Harry had inflicted on the undeserving younger man. _

_Blinking furiously she tried desperately to clear her vision from the tears blinding her. If she was going to help him she had to remain calm so that she could get a better look at her friend and assess how badly he was injured. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound behind her__…___

_Quickly she whirled around. Fear that her father had woken up and was about to attack her again, quickened her actions. She was shocked when instead of Harry; she caught sight of her youngest sister Julia. What further surprised her was that the young girl didn__'__t spare a glance at her surrogate older brother or her real sisters, instead she headed straight for her father. _

__

_"NO!__"__Victoria__ yelled out. Fear that the child may awaken the older man, and he would resume his violence, lent panic to her voice. _

__

_"Why? Why are you tending to that pirate scum?__"__ Julia asked, her voice surprisingly bitter for one so young. __Victoria__ startled at the vehemence of her sister__'__s tone._

__

_"Ju, sweetie, Dad just murdered Emma. He shot her through the head.__"__ she told her gently, thinking that perhaps the girl hadn__'__t noticed, unlikely as it sounded. Julia shrugged, as if she wasn__'__t at all bothered by this piece of news._

__

_"I know that Vicky, he did it to protect her from him,__"__ she replied her tone cold, and obviously talking about Jack. _

_Victoria__'__s mouth literally dropped open in shock, suddenly grateful that Jack was unconscious. It would have killed him to hear the child talk about him in such a way. He had always been very fond of the young girl, bringing her gifts from every port he visited, and __Victoria__ knew for a fact that the vast majority of them had actually been paid for. _

__

_"Julia, don__'__t say things like that. You know that Jack loves our family. Emma never needed any protection from him. Now help me with him, we need to leave now before Dad wakes up.__"__Victoria__ told the younger girl, dragging Jack to his feet as carefully as she could. _

__

_"No way, I__'__m not helping him, he made Dad kill Emma.__"__ Julia replied, sounding very much like the child that she was. _

__

_"No Julia, Dad made Dad killed Emma. Jack loved her, same as he loves all of us, now hurry up else we__'__ll be hurt too.__"__ Victoria continued, desperate for the child to hurry up so that they could leave straight away. _

__

_"Dad wouldn__'__t harm me, he__'__d never hurt me,__"__ Julia retorted, angry at her sister__'__s words._

__

_"Yes but then we always thought he wouldn__'__t hurt any of us, just take a look at Emma. I am leaving now, if you want you can come with me, it__'__s up to you__"__ Victoria replied, and quickened her pace, half carrying and half dragging the wounded pirate along with her. After a few moments lighter footsteps followed behind her._

__

_"I__'__ll come with you, but I am not helping him__"__ Julia told her sister, and kept her distance, as she watched the older woman struggle all the way back to the port, not offering any assistance the entire way. _

__

__

_End Flashback_

__

__

Victoria slammed her fist hard against the bars of her cell. The fact that she'd never told Jack about Julia's attitude towards him haunted her. It would have hurt him then, had he known 

No matter what doubts she had about him. she did know that he would never have harmed any of them. Any damage he had caused their family had been inadvertent, even though she herself still felt some bitterness towards him there was no way she would trade her sister's life for his, none at all.

With any luck once Harry had his hands on both sisters he would leave Jack alone, although somewhere in the back of her mind she doubted it very much.

End Chapter Thirty Two


	33. Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Three

Many thanks for all of your kind words about the last chapter! Sorry for the minor screw-up hope I rectified it before too many of you noticed!!! Anyway once again many thanks to Jackfan2 for her fantastic beta reading- I didn't expect it back so quicker so thank you for all your help and encouragement!

Once again please review!!!!

Chapter Thirty Three

Julia hummed to herself as she placed a few belongings in her bag.  As much as she hated to admit it, perhaps Jack was right and she should go away for a little while.

Growing up, she'd always idolised her father. Of course, what little girl didn't? Yet over time the image of her sister's brutal death, at her father's hands, continually haunted her dreams. However, for some reason she still couldn't bring herself to hate the man who'd raised her.

In her mind her father had always belonged on a pedestal above the rest of the world. To her mind, he was a man of firm opinions who stuck steadfastly by his guns.  A strong man who deserved and demanded respect from those he met. Respect she had willingly given him her entire life, until _that _day.  Over and over again, night after night, the horrid memories filled her dreams until they became nightmares.

Instead of blaming the man directly responsible for creating those dreams, she irrationally blamed Jack. He, to her way of thinking, was the catalyst for all of the wrong that had happened in such a short space of time. However, with age and maturity she began to understand that any trouble that the pirate had caused, he had done so inadvertently.  It didn't matter, though; she couldn't hate her own father. She could only blame Jack.

"Why the hell ain't he here?" Jack seethed angrily, his pacing growing in speed, Ana dived out of the way as he didn't stop before walking across the space she had occupied a split second previously.

"Jack, calm down! Why do you want him to come after ya so much?" she asked, trying to make eye contact in the hopes that it would stop his movement. Maybe, she thought, if he stopped long enough the dizziness of watching his restless pacing would subside.

"Why the hell do ya think?" Jack told her tiredly. "I told ya, while he's comin' after me; he's leaving the girls alone and that is what matters" Having barely slept in the last couple of days, he looked worn and haggard. This lonesome vigil he kept, waiting for an attack that may never happen, was obviously wearing on him.

"What's to say he's even gonna come looking for ye again, Jack?" Ana replied. "Maybe he had enough last time?"  Even as she spoke the words, she could already hear his argument in her head.

"Ana love," Jack said as he stopped to face her, "he's waited for many years before coming to get me the first time. A man don't wait for that long then simply give up after losing out once. Trust me, I'd know" he replied. With those words, his thoughts drifted to the long and lonely ten years he spent without his beloved Pearl. During that time he relived daily the memory of the second worst betrayal he had ever known.

"Aye I suppose ye be right, but that's not to say he even knows where ye are. Perhaps Tortuga would have been a better place to stay" she commented, thinking that if Jack had something else to focus on he may let something else slip about Harry Birch. For a man that spoke as much and as often as Captain Jack Sparrow, he shared very little information.

"He'll know where we are. He's got something up 'is sleeve, I'd bet me life on it" Jack replied, before resuming his pacing without another word. Ana nodded, hoping that that bet would never be paid upon.

Harry chuckled to himself, he couldn't believe how well things were turning out, and he had come up with the ideal plan. It was so ingenious in its simplicity that he was beaming with pride.

Never would he have imagined that the one daughter, who'd always been so fond of the pirate Captain, would be the instigator of the plan. But before Emma's demise that would have personally signed his death warrant.

Again, he laughed; finally he was going to get his long sought after revenge, and his two daughters were going to help him. One, Julia, he was positive would proudly stand by his side, the other he wasn't so sure of. Then again, Victoria had already more than served her purpose. She had provided a perfect way to lure the infamous pirate to his death, and she didn't even know it.

A feral grin lit up his face with an air of menace. In just a few short hours they would reach their destination and the final piece would be in play.

Victoria sat in the darkest corner of her cell. Uncertainty assailed her heart as to whether or not she had done the right thing. One minute, there was no doubt as to her choice. The next, she regretted her decision.

Remembering the look on her fathers face gave her the greatest trepidation. He seemed just a little bit too pleased with her willingness to share what she knew. Thinking back, now, she remembered the look in his eye when she had told him of Julia's hiding place, there had been a definite glint of something that she didn't like.

Still at least she knew Jack would be safe, at least for now. All too well she recalled how her father had taunted her with news of exactly what he and his men had done to the pirate. While it was obvious by her father's pursuit of the pirate, that he lived, she hoped he was okay. With a fervent prayer, she called on whatever higher powers there were to keep him safe and far from harm, for if her father caught up with him…

Julia sighed deeply as she placed her only family picture in her bag. At the last minute, she'd remembered and made a last minute dash back inside to retrieve it. That had been the last time she had been home.

With longing in her heart she gazed intently at the faces, running a hand over the images as if she could feel their flesh once again. The unbidden memories caused her to blink back the tears that threatened. God, how she missed her family, now more than ever.

Bitterly she remembered how no one had been there to share her life with her. Instead she had missed out on a lot because of having to leave so rapidly, the mind numbing images of her sisters death had death scarred her permanently. In truth, she admitted to her self, it no long mattered who she held responsible for nightmares that continued. She only doubted that she would ever be free of them.

Now, she would flea for her safety. However, she took only a few clothes and possessions, she did so in promise to herself that this time; she would return to her home, some day.  A plan had formed; barter passage aboard a merchant ship, and go somewhere where she knew she would be safe. Somewhere like Port Royale where there was a heavy military presence and she would feel protected.

With a heavy heart and her belongings packed, she sat back down on her bed. It was time to go and yet it was quite a few hours before she would be able to head out. So, she settled back and lay back on the bed, deciding to get as much rest as she could before her long journey would begin.

The island slowly drifted into view and Harry smiled. It would only be a matter of minutes before they would make berth, and then finally his plan would start to blossom.

Once he set foot on shore, he would attempt to draw as much attention to himself as he could. Word travelled fast on these little patches of land and well he knew that Captain Jack had a lot of acquaintances in this part of the World. It wouldn't take long before word reached the pirate and the plan would be well underway. On a personal level, however, he was adamant that Jack would not find out what he was up to until it suited him. The pirate was far too clever and if he caught on at the wrong moment, it would ruin everything.

Eagerly, he raised his spyglass once more to his eye and peered out to make sure that there were no obvious signs of trouble up ahead. Panning the area, he stopped when his attention drawn by a figure on the dock. Leaning forward trying to get a better view, he noticed it was that  of the young woman stood with suitcase at her feet. Surely it couldn't be who he thought it was…? Squinting into the glass he almost laughed out loud. While it had been a number of years since he had last seen her, he was almost certain that the figure in the distance was the young girl he had once known. With a sense of renewed urgency, he pushed himself away from the railing and went to muster up his crew; they needed to get to that dock immediately.

Julia sighed, she was tired and cold and it looked as though it was soon going to rain as well. Anxiously she shifted from foot to foot hoping to get some feeling back in her lower extremities. Who would have thought that a night in the Caribbean would have been so chilly?

Shading her eyes against the glare of the sun, she squinted ahead out to sea. Her heart lurched at the sight before her and for the first time that evening a grin lit her fair features. There, approaching slowly, was ship headed straight towards her, and it was clearly a merchant ship.

Cold and exhaustion forgotten, she picked up her case and moved closer; finally she was going to get her passage. Rooted to the spot she stood and watched closely as the men disembarked the ship. Only when it was firmly docked did she move forward towards the men on dry land. When she stood right beside the ship she looked up and smiled at the name, _The White Knight_. It  was most definitely her knight in shining armour that had ridden to rescue her.

Suddenly, her heart plummeted to her feat. Her smile faded as a man wearing a knowing grin, exited the ship and strode toward her. She stood trembling at the foot of the man who now stood before her. Two things she knew; one, he was quite obviously the Captain of the ship. And, two, the man that was…her father, Harry Birch.

End Chapter Thirty Three


	34. Chapter Thirty Four

Chapter Thirty Four

Okay sorry for the long delays guys, no excuse but at least it's here now! I haven't got this chappie beta'd cos I have only got tonight free to write this and get it posted and don't want to rush my poor beta!!! So sorry for any mistakes, but they are all mine!!!

Thank you for all the reviews, please keep hem coming!!!!

Chapter Thirty Four

Jack walked alone through the streets, at last he had been convinced to leave the Pearl, yet he had shown great reluctance and put up an almighty fight, now he was beginning to see the merit in Gibbs' comments about women on board ship being unlucky. There was no way any man aboard could have got their own way with him quite so successfully as that wench Anamaria. He sighed, he was debating with himself how long he could get away with staying away with before returning, and thus he wasn't fully concentrating on where he was going, and walked straight into a fellow pirate, knocking the older man to the ground.

"My apologies mate, I guess I weren't looking where I was going" Jack told the other man as he extended his hand to help him up.

"I was looking exactly where I was going, and I found who I was looking for" the other pirate told the pirate Captain cryptically. Jack raised his brows in question, and the other man just laughed at him. "I got a message for ye. It's from my Captain; I think you may know him. See my Captain says to tell you that the family are altogether and to invite ya to join in the fun" Jack felt his stomach clench at the other man's words, yet he knew he had to confirm that they were both thinking of the same person. With a display of nonchalance that he wasn't feeling Jack shifted his position so his hands rested lightly on his hips, before calmly speaking.

"And who is your Captain?" he asked, as if he really couldn't have cared less.

"Captain Harry Birch of the White Knight" the older man replied. Jack's breath caught in his throat, yet he quickly recovered, keen to not let his calm façade down for a second.

"And why the hell would I wanna go to any party of his?" he replied deliberately playing dumb for the time being, the other man rolled his eyes.

"Are you always this stupid, or did you get damaged more than old Harry thought when he had his little game with ya?" the other man taunted, yet if he was hoping to rile Jack enough to get him to fight he was in for a disappointment.

"Mate you need to learn that sometimes there is a very fine line between stupidity and brilliance" he told him, and chuckled lightly. "Now where is old Harry?" he asked bluntly.

"He's just picked up another friend of yours and now he's heading for Jamaica" the older man told him smugly.

"Another friend?" Jack asked, picking up on the wording.

"Oh yes, he's got two of them, and mighty pretty specimens they are too" Jack nodded once, and then headed back to his ship mustering more haste than ever before.

Harry Birch laughed to himself as he snapped his compass shut once more.

"My my, this is working out much better than I thought. Isn't it lovely for us all to be together again like this?" he asked the two girls stood before him, as he lightly caressed Julia's cheek, a number of years ago she might have been pleased for her father's attention, now his touch held a sinister edge to it that made her blood run cold. She shivered slightly feeling as though someone had walked over her grave. Victoria bit on her tongue to stop herself from saying anything; as much as she hated her youngest sister she couldn't help but feel worried for her when she was clearly the sole focus of their father's attention.

"Ya know what Dad, I beginning to think that Jack was right about you all along" Julia told her father, and bit down hard on her own lip as the palm of his hand slapped harshly against her cheek. She laughed "That's right prove it again" she taunted him, and Victoria closed her eyes, not wishing to see another of her sister's killed at her father's hand. Her eyes sprung open once more in shock, as rather than retaliate with violence her father simply laughed at the younger girl, and stepped back.

"My dear you really don't understand do you. None of this was caused by me. It wasn't me that killed Emma; it was that wretched pirate Jack Sparrow. Now once and for all I am going to pay him back for all the suffering that he has caused this family. He'll wish he'd never met any of us" Harry told his captive audience, and the two girls exchanged a glance, the contact holding a mixture of fear, concern and a grim determination. Jack Sparrow had once helped to save them from their father, yet neither of them had fully appreciated it at the time. Well this time they will going to save him, they'd be damned if they would let their murderer of a father win again. Victoria took a deep breath to steady her nerves, she had always been a little it afraid of her father. She had always known that he was crazy, and not in the slightly endearing way that Jack was but in a sinister way. Brazenly she stepped forward and looked her father square in the eye.

"To think that I was ever afraid of you! You are nothing more than a pitiful excuse for a human being. You are so afraid of what you have become that you have to continually try to pass the shame of your actions onto Jack. He may be a pirate but he is still twice the man that you have ever been. I used to love and respect you, I was so proud to call you my father, and then you did what you did. You were blinded by hatred of a man you had once been proud to call your son, just because of what he did to live, you couldn't even see beyond the pirate to the man once you knew. That was the minute that I lost any warm feelings towards you. I can never forgive you for what you did to this family, you, not Jack, you couldn't even bring yourself to take responsibility for what you did, you even had to blame Jack for that" she told him, her voice raising in volume as her tirade continued. Harry's face had turned beetroot in anger, and his lip twitched, yet for some unknown reason he remained silent until she had finished her lecture. As soon as she had stopped he walked towards her, his hand resting lightly on the gun at his hip.

"It was all Sparrow's doing, and yours. If I had known him for what he truly was to start with he would never have been welcome in our home. If you and your sister had not hidden the truth from me then it would never have ended the way that it did. You manipulated me to accept him, the pair of you are just as guilty in all of this as that filthy pirate. Yet you don't see it, well your sister's blood is on your hands, yours and that pirate's. You say about respect? You never respected me, if you had you wouldn't have deceived me. My dear Victoria, you made your decision and now its time for you to pay the consequence of it" he told her, and his face impassive he raised his arm with his weapon pointing towards his eldest remaining daughter, and grinning inanely he pulled he trigger.

End Chapter Thirty Four

That's it for now! I promise that the next posting will be a lot quicker!!! Please review!


	35. Chapter Thirty Five

Chapter Thirty Five

Thank you all very much for your kind reviews, much appreciated! I am now back from my holidays, and the writing bug has bitten once more! Please leave me your reviews for this chapter!!!

Once again many thanks to the very kind JackFan2 for beta reading for me!!!

Chapter Thirty Five

"Where the hell are we going now?" Anamaria asked her captain as he stomped by.

Reaching the gangplank, Jack had hurriedly boarded the Pearl, his face stormy with anger.  Shouting as he paced the deck, he ordered the crew to weigh anchor and set sail but did not include their destination as they left the harbour for an unknown destination. Ana, at first, had been reluctant to approach the obviously irritated pirate captain, yet she needed answers, and there was only one person who could provide them.

"We're off to visit an old friend." Jack told her quietly, his eyes never leaving the horizon before him. She sighed and stepped closer to her Captain.

"Who are we off to see and why?" she asked, her patience wearing extremely thin at his obvious reluctance to provide her with any answers that he didn't deem absolutely necessary. He sighed deeply, as if she was making unreasonable demands on him.

"We're off to get some long awaited revenge." he told her, his voice as cold as ice, and his eyes as hard as steel as they met hers for the first time, before casting his gaze back to the expanse of ocean in front of him. Ana observed him silently for a moment before turning on her heel and heading back to Gibbs and the Turner couple.

"Well what's going on?" the young blacksmith asked as soon as he set eyes on the pirate. His own impatience was beginning to surface at the lack of information and it was clearly evident in his voice.

"Jack," Ana sighed, "is taking us on a fool's mission." she finished and rubbed a weary hand over her dark face.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked, concerned by the female pirate's weary tone.

"He obviously got word on where Birch's ship has made berth, and he's taking us off to get him. The fool's probably sailing straight into a trap to his own death" Ana told them,

Elizabeth looked at the older woman in a new light, she had never really given much thought to Jack's relationship with his only female crew member, yet it was clear to her now that Ana was extremely fond of her Captain. If the way she had cared for the man through his trauma hadn't been evidence enough of their affection, then the open look on her face at that moment would have made it perfectly obvious. Elizabeth moved closer and gently rested her hand on the older woman's shoulder, in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture.

"Ana, Jack will be just fine. He is Captain Jack Sparrow after all." Elizabeth told her with a smile, yet Ana did not return the gesture.

"That's just it, to me he isn't Captain Jack Sparrow, infamous pirate who feels no pain, capable of getting out of any situation relatively unscathed. To me he is Jack, the sweetest and most caring man I have ever known. He is the only man that I have ever fully trusted, the only man that I have ever really loved." Suddenly, she seemed to realise the words that had passed her lips, but it was to late to turn back now. After a deep sigh of resignation, she continued. "He's a man that would do anything for those that he loves, and it is exactly that that worries me. No matter how much time has passed, he still loves those two Birch girls as if none of the trouble had ever happened. He'll do anything to ensure their safety, even if it means the price of his own life, that is just the way that Jack is." Ana told the three people around her, seeming not to notice the silent tears running down her face as she spoke from her heart.

"If he thinks that Julia and Victoria are in danger," Ana continued after a moment, "and is running off to their rescue, then that is exactly what it could cost him. Sooner or later the infamous _Captain Jack Sparrow_ will run out of luck." she concluded.

The other's found that they were physically unable to respond, for none of them wanted to admit that she was exactly right, yet none of them could dispute the truth behind her words.  

Julia's ears were ringing by the sound of the gunshot resounding so close to her, her own scream deafening in itself. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, yet sprung open when she felt a calloused hand caressing her cheek. Opening her eyes, she gasped in fear when she found her father in such close proximity to her.

"You best be behaving girl, else you'll be joining ya sisters." he told her, then snapped his wrist back and slapped her hard. So hard, in fact, that her head bounced off the wooden pole she was chained to, and she slumped to the floor unconscious.

Harry chuckled humourlessly to himself as he walked away from his two daughters, keen to wait out the arrival of the main event- the arrival of Captain Jack Sparrow, the man that had cost him everything.

End Chapter Thirty Five


	36. Chapter Thirty Six

Chapter Thirty Six

Thank you all for your kind reviews on the last chapter, it is much appreciated! And once again my heartfelt thanks and eternal gratitude to JackFan2 for beta reading this chapter for me! Please keep the reviews coming, as this story is now drawing to the beginnings of the end, so your reviews will get the postings a lot quicker!!

Chapter Thirty Six

The next time Julia opened her eyes to view the world; darkness had settled in. In an attempt to clear her vision, she blinked a few times, yet as things came into focus, she almost wished they hadn't. Lying not far from her, just out of reach, was the still form of her only living sister, the rise and fall of her chest the only indicator that she still drew breath.

"Victoria!" she called out, as loudly as she dared, praying that her sister would turn to her and the gunshot had simply been a figment of her imagination. 

On hands and knees, she crawled across the rough floor toward the still form of her sister. Her own bond limited her advancement and Victoria remained just slightly out of reach and she sighed in frustration. From that position she did her best to assess her sister's condition and gasped when she realised the ever increasing pool of blood that surrounded her.

Doing her best not to break down, she bit back the sob that threatened to escape called out desperately to her. While her voice dare not speak too loudly, mentally she screamed, willing her to wake up and be okay, yet somehow in her heart she knew that it wasn't going to happen. The anguish tore at her heart and mind, leaving her dizzy and once again unfocused as she once more faded into unconsciousness.

Anamaria was getting madder with each passing hour. At sea for nearly three days, Jack had not once in all that time left the helm for more than ten minutes, and he was driving her crazy with worry.

More than once she had force fed him, but the scant amount of food and drink over such a long journey were not enough to sustain a bird, let alone a full grown man. He needed sleep the bloody stubborn man.  

Angrily, she paced fore and aft; the deck and any crewman unfortunate enough to be near took the brunt of her frustration. Rationally, she knew the reason for her ire as she gazed at her bloody stubborn fool of a Captain at the helm.

They had all tried to tell him that he needed his rest, and she swore that if he reminded her one more time that he was 'Captain Jack Sparrow' she was going to have to slap him into the next century.

"Just go and say something to him" a voice behind startled her so much that she literally jumped. In her surprise she spun about to find Gibbs worried mug looking anxiously at her.

"Saying stuff to him doesn't get anything done; it just goes in one ear and out of the other, as you know." She told him.

"He'll listen to you more than any of us, ya know he loves ya." The elder pirate continued.

"He won't listen to anyone, he has got one thing on his mind and that is getting to those girls, even if it does mean his complete self-destruction." She finished and returned her gaze toward the pirate captain. Then she did a strong double take as if she had just realised what he had said. "What do you mean I know he loves me? Jack doesn't love me! At least not anymore than any other member of his crew!" She continued her voice almost unsure. Gibbs chuckled in response.

"Well I know that you love him too," he continued grinning. "and if you can't see the way that he feels about you, it is obviously true that love is blind."

Ana shook her head at him, and if looks could kill he would have been dead on the spot, yet his inane grin, never once faltered. Finally she tutted loudly at him, and spun away to go and have yet another 'discussion' with her Captain.

Eyes locked on the horizon, Jack heard the approaching footsteps from behind, and knew two things instantly. First, they belonged to a certain female pirate and, second, the pace they pounded into the deck of the ship was angry and that could not possibly be good news.

Oh well, best to meet trouble head on and with that he whirled around just in time to be met by a hard slap across his cheek by the irate pirate.

"What the 'ell was that for?" he asked her, genuinely confused. She stood before him, her hands placed firmly on her slender hips.

"_That _was for worrying the hell out of us all for the last few weeks," she told him. Then pulled her wrist back and slapped him again, full across the other cheek. "And _that_ was for being a stubborn fool who truly believes himself to be indestructible." She finished.

Well, not quite. Jack barely recovered when he locked his gaze on her face, clearly stormy with anger as she took yet another deep breath and rounded on him once again. This time with a deft flick of the wrist she put her full body weight into it and landed another hard slap across her friend's face. Luckily she is not very heavy, but did the job well enough that he literally stumbled back, only just catching himself.

"And what the heck was that for?" he asked her, rubbing at his red cheeks.

"That, Jack, was just for being you, now if I don't see that butt of yours heading the direction of your cabin for some much needed rest within the next ten seconds I will continue to slap you until your face is so sore you won't even be able to speak. Do you get me?" She angrily placed her hands on her hips, silently daring him to refuse.

Jack stared at her a moment before speaking, his voice low and feral. "Ana, love, last time I looked I was Captain of this here ship, so why the bloody hell do you think that I, as Captain, would do as _you_ tell me?" The gold and white grin that creased his face never reached his eyes and a dangerous glint in those same eyes indicated his waning patience.

Ana once more placed her hands on her hips and succeeded in looking threatening.

"Because, Jack, a Captain listens to and respects the opinion of the crew, even on a pirate ship." Ana stepped closer to him and the tone of her voice softened. "And, I am telling you if you don't get some food and sleep soon you aren't going to be any good to anybody, now please go?"

Stubborn pride kept the pirate captain rooted and unmoving, but in the end he couldn't help but respond to the yielding tenor of her voice. The tension ebbed as he realized that in truth, he was fare more tired than he cared to admit and rest sounded very appealing at that moment. Though, not as appealing when done alone…

Suddenly, he closed the distance between them and watched with a measure of satisfaction as her brow wrinkled in question. Then, as he bent forward, her eyes widened and he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, turned and walked silently to his cabin.

Ana stood stock still, staring at his retreating back. She was completely gob smacked and the look of utter shock on her face, shown clearly to everyone on deck to see. Never had she seen Jack look at her as tenderly as he had just then, and never before had she seen such warmth in his eyes.

With a small shake of her head, she came out of her quiet reverie and stepped up to the helm of her Captain's first love. Determined to get things done, she set about looking after his Pearl, even whilst her mind kept replaying throughout the day, the soft look on his handsome face and the warmth of his lips on her skin. A tiny smile creased her face as she absentmindedly lifted one hand to her forehead and sighed at the lingering memory.

End Chapter Thirty Six

Please review!!!!!


	37. Chapter Thirty Seven

Chapter Thirty Seven

Thank you all for your reviews again! I can't believe how many I have managed to get between the stories that I have got in the works at the moment!, it really does mean a lot! Please keep them coming as I really want to break 200 reviews on this story, even if I need to start reviewing myself, believe me I'd do it!! Now that I finally have movement back in my right wrist so can type more than five words a minute I can get these chapters posted a lot quicker, and regularly update all of my stories, which is what I prefer to do, but I will only do so if I get lots and lots of reviews!!

My heartfelt thanks and eternal gratitude to my truly magnificent beta reader JackFan2, claps and whistles ;-)

Chapter Thirty Seven

Jack slept for hours, his body finally giving into exhaustion, it was the first time that his mind had totally shut down for what felt like forever. He smiled in his sleep, yet before long the smile turned into a grimace as the images flicked through his memories of more tragic times, so much pain and sorrow haunted his sleep. He sat up with a start, and with a deep feeling in his stomach that his mission may have started too late. He got to his feet ignoring the discomfort of his injuries and headed straight back to the Pearl, satisfied that he had rested long enough to please his only female crew member enough to ensure he wasn't slapped for a few hours.

Scott Orchid carefully made his way across deck, he had been laying low for most of the day, desperate to try and help the two girls, but unwilling to pay with his life to do so. It seemed as though Harry wasn't going to move far enough from them to let him get near them, but finally the older man left his perch watching his daughters to go and get drunk. Scott edged slowly along, and squatted down next to the younger girl; he gently placed a hand over her mouth and shook her awake. When she opened confused, pain glazed eyes to look at him, he raised a finger to his lips warning her to remain silent. When she nodded to signal that she understood, he removed his hands and set about untying the ropes that bound her. As soon as she felt the pressure on her hands give, she crawled across to her sister, and finally caught sight of the small rise and fall of the older girl's chest. Julia sighed in relief, yet her joy was short lived as she caught sight of the immense amount of blood that had spilt from her sister.

"Oh Christ" se cursed, unusually for her. "What do we do?" she asked the first mate of the ship. He turned concerned eyes on her, he could help the girl, but then Harry would know that it was him, he was torn between doing what was right by them and what was right by him. He sighed deeply, glancing from side to side to see if anyone was coming, he turned on his heel and walked away.

Ana sighed to herself, just as she thought that she was getting through to her insufferable Captain, he totally spun it around on her. It seemed like light years ago that they had shared such a tender moment at the helm, yet since he had returned from his cabin he had spoken barely a word to her. She tutted once more, yet he offered no reaction, finally she gave up and walked away. When she was gone, Jack allowed his shoulder's to slump; he just needed time to think alone. In his head he knew that chances were he was already too late to save both Julia and Victoria, if Harry had ever even caught up with them, yet his heart was telling him that his head was wrong. The Birch family stirred up every possible emotion in him, just the name Birch made his heart feel with love and joy, yet at the same time feel as though a bullet had ripped through the life sustaining muscle. He rubbed his hand over his face, suddenly feeling very old and very tried despite his recent rest, it would only be another day's sail and they would reach the 'White Knight', and Jack would almost certainly spring his adversaries trap. Oh yes, Jack knew it was a trap. He knew full well that he was on a fool's errand, and Harry's sole plan had been to get the younger man to come running after him and his hostages, and Jack was doing just that. The difference is that Harry was grossly underestimating him, yes Harry Birch had never come across a truly angry Captain Jack Sparrow, and he didn't know what he had let himself in for.

Julia crawled across the deck in desperation; she was blinded by her tears, her heart breaking at the dire condition of her sister. All she wanted was to hold the older woman, and make her well again. Was every body on this god forsaken ship heartless? The young first mate has been her last and only hope of helping her sister, yet he had walked off without so much as a backward glance. She bit back on the sob that threatened to choke her, as she desperately pushed down on the gaping wound in her sister's abdomen, yet her pressure did nothing the stem the flow. Despite the little impact she was having in the battle to save her sister's life she persevered and stayed like that for some time, not moving an inch. It wasn't until she saw another set of hands rest next to hers on the bunched up cloth that she was using to soak up the blood, she turned her gaze upwards and was met by a strong steel blue pair of eyes. The rough calloused sailor's hands pushing down to staunch the flow with a man's strength.

"I thought that you'd gone" she whispered to the first mate.

"No I just went to get these" Scott replied, gesturing behind him to the bottle of rum and cloths that he had brought back with him. She smiled, although it was a weak attempt and didn't light up her eyes, she was truly grateful for his help.

"Thank you" she told him through her tears. He nodded once in acknowledgement, and then set about his task doing everything he could to save the young woman that he had become rather fond of over the last few days.

Harry Birch whistled to himself, he knew that it was only a matter of a day or so and his revenge would be his, his plan was unfolding nicely and soon Jack Sparrow would be exactly where he deserved to be- rotting in hell.

End Chapter Thirty Seven


	38. Chapter Thirty Eight

Chapter Thirty Eight

Wow wow and wow again!! Thank you all for your reviews, it seriously means a lot, if it wasn't for all of you people taking the time to write me a review I don't think I would ever have got this far with this story and I certainly wouldn't be so close to completing it and starting the sequel in my head! Please keep the reviews coming they really help!

Once again many thanks go to my Yankee buddy the one, the only JackFan2! Beta reader supremo, and generally all round great gal!!!

 Chapter Thirty Eight

Jack stood at the helm of his ship; he took a deep breath to calm the unfamiliar feeling of butterflies that seemed to be present in his stomach.  It was unusual for him to feel nervous as a plan came together, usually he was excited and amused in this kind of situation, but then again usually the stakes weren't quite so high.

Suddenly, something caught his eye and Jack squinted into the horizon. Lifting the spyglass to his eye, Jack finally caught sight and confirmed what his eyes had been unable to see, the ship. Not just any ship, he thought as a small grin found its way over his face, but the same ship he'd spent the last few weeks alternating between trying to escape its path and then trying to hunt it down.

With one final glance he collapsed the scope and turned to address his crew. Anxiously he barked out orders and as one the ship was a hive of activity, leaving Elizabeth and Will left to stand back and watch as each sailor went about their tasks. It was practiced ease and experience that drove each man (and woman) to know exactly what their job was. Out of respect, each was more than willing to do what was necessary to seek the revenge they all desired for the pain inflicted on their beloved Captain.

Will's gaze was fixed on his friend, noting the expression which held an odd mixture of emotions played out over the dark pirate's features. Yet, before he could catalogue each one Jack seemed to pull himself together with a firm shake of the head. Once more the protective façade of Captain Jack Sparrow, the one very few people ever saw beneath, that which he staunchly maintained for his own protection against the world, was firmly in place.

Just as Will was about to go and speak to his friend he saw that he had been beaten to it by the only female crew member. Curiously, he watched as Anamaria stood directly beside the pirate captain, the man that he had no doubt held her heart.  

It was with a loving tenderness, evident to any one looking, that she gently rested her arm on her Captain's shoulder, and spoke quietly into his ear. While Will could not make out the words, he could see the response those words brought forth; Jack smiled. And for once the expression was reflected in his deep brown eyes as Ana softly caressed his cheek and brushed his hair away from his face. Then as the female pirate stepped closer Will's mouth dropped open in shock when she planted a tender kiss on his lips.

At that moment Will looked away unable to believe his eyes. After a moment, he returned his gaze to face the helm and once again the shock multiplied. Jack Sparrow now stood with his arms around Anamaria drawing her into a tight embrace, his head resting on her shoulder as if drawing strength from her love.

"It's fantastic isn't it?" Elizabeth asked from behind him. Will jumped slightly, then blushed a deep crimson as he realized his intended covert gazes, had become outright, open-mouthed ogling.

"What is?" he asked confused, finally able to tear his eyes away from Jack and Ana.

"That those two have finally admitted that they love each other. I mean, we all knew it long ago yet for some reason they didn't see fit to tell each other, let alone show it." she responded before walking away and once more leaving Will in his now familiar posture with his mouth hanging open in shock, was he really the only person on board the vessel that missed what was going on in front of his eyes?

Scott carefully wrapped the last of the makeshift bandages around the injured woman's torso. He hated to see the previously vibrant young lady looking so pale and hurt.

"Thank you for coming back" Julia told him as he checked his handiwork for the last time.

"Save it for his funeral," a voice said from behind them. Julia felt a chill race down her spine as goose flesh rose on her arms.

Out of a dark corner of the room, Harry Birch stepped forward and nodded his head to two of his crew members. Two of Birch's goons moved to either side of the first mate and none too gently hauled him to his feet. The men were twice his size but he struggled as they dragged him to stand before the Captain.

"Changed sides have we Mr Orchid?" he asked his voice quiet, which somehow was much more threatening than if he had pulled a blade. Scott cast his gaze downwards unable to meet the fury filled gaze directed at him. "You have no right to touch my daughters. They belong to me, and I can do what I want with them, you will not interfere with my plan!" he told the younger man his voice a callous hiss. "Take him to the brig." He instructed his men.

Secure in the knowledge that his men would indeed follow his orders, he didn't bother to watch as they left. He knew full well that those men would follow his orders, for they were too afraid to do anything else. Besides, money meant power, and Harry Birch was rumoured to have plenty of both.

The man turned his gaze to his conscious daughter, and grinned, a feral gleam illuminating his eyes. He squatted down beside her and traced a line down her pale cheek with his calloused fingers.

"Now what do we do with you?" he asked, yet she could tell that he didn't really want her to answer. "I suppose I will have to keep you alive for the time being, give Mr Sparrow some incentive to play my game for a while, but when I have clipped his wings, well that's a different story" he told.

Standing to his full height, he turned a walked away and returned to the helm once more. Placing the spyglass over his eye, an evil grin snaked across his rotted teeth as he caught sight of the guest he had been hoping would join him.

"That's it Jackie boy, fly in to the rescue" he muttered to himself.

The next time that Will saw Jack the pirate Captain was stood in his cabin strapping a belt around his waist, on which a large cutlass and a couple of daggers rested. He also noticed an extra pistol tucked in the sash that the pirate wore around his waist.

"Expecting a war?" Will asked, his eyebrow raised in question.

"No whelp, I'm starting one" Jack replied, a menacing grin plastered across his tanned face.

Will couldn't help the shudder that ran through him at the words, his mind conjuring up the image of Jack suspended taut from a ceiling by his arms and the catalogue of injuries, both emotional and physical, that Jack had sustained at the hands of the man they were about to face. Will could only imagine how the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow would see fit to deal with such a specimen of the human race.

End Chapter Thirty Eight


	39. Chapter Thirty Nine

Chapter Thirty Nine

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and heartfelt apologies for the delay, reality sucks doesn't it? I truly am sorry to keep you waiting so long, between working stupid overtime, my boyfriend's graduation, my own study, my tae kwon do training, my tae kwon do grading, my physio for my wrist, and trying to organise my next holiday I haven't had a spare minute! Anyway I will try and be better from now on, but no promises!

For the sake of getting us out straight away I have not had this story beta read, so any mistakes are most definitely my own, so apologies in advance!

Chapter Thirty Nine

The atmosphere on the Pearl was vastly different from the usual hustle and bustle under the infamous Captain Sparrow, the fun and laughter and pirate songs being sung around the deck, had made way for a tense atmosphere that could be cut with a knife. Each crew member was more than sure of what they were about to face, each remembering what the outcome had been the last time they had met the White Knight, and the long hours of worry and pain that had followed, each man and woman aboard had seen the hurt that the enemy Captain had caused their beloved Jack, and each of them wanted to see the man suffer for it in a million different ways, yet they would not sacrifice the Pearl nor any of the crew for that purpose. Gibbs cast a surveying glance around the crew, each man and woman was working in silence, intent on reaching their destination as soon as possible, yet no one really sure of what they were actually going to do when they arrived. Gibbs could tell that Ana was keeping a very close eye on the Captain, god alone knew what was running through his mind at that moment, but the entire crew could tell that emotions were high for their beloved Captain, Will Turner hadn't managed to tear his gaze away from the older man for the last three hours, Gibbs shook his head to himself god forbid anything happened to the crazy Captain and the crew did not know what would hit them, for Gibbs knew in his heart that should Jack not be there, there was no Pearl it was a simple as that.

Harry Birch could hardly contain his excitement, the predictable Jack Sparrow and his overrated pirate ship were getting closer and closer with every passing minute, the fool was flying straight into his carefully carved trap. He narrowly resisted the urge to giggle to himself; he couldn't believe that after all of these years he was finally going to get his much anticipated revenge; oh he would savour the taste for years to come. He would be remembered in history as the person that had taken down the infamous and nigh on indestructible Captain Jack Sparrow, children would learn all about him in schools for years to come, and all for being the only man with the courage and intelligence to push the pirate from his mantle. He grinned from ear to ear, moments like this made life worth living, finally Jack Sparrow would be no more and his two girls would once more hold him close to their heart and truly understand how evil the pirate was, and how great their father was, but before he could tackle the last stages of his plan to rid the World of Sparrow he had one more task to carry out.

"So what's the plan then Captain?" Ana asked the man that stood brooding besides her. His gaze never left the horizon, for in his mind only one thing currently existed and that was the task ahead. Finally he turned his chocolate gaze towards her, and for a brief second she saw over his defences and looked deep into his very soul, she almost gasped at the turmoil she saw deep within the man that she loved with all of her heart.

"We're gonna sail past him" Jack told her, and she couldn't help the puzzled gaze that slipped onto her face.

"You what?" she asked, confused.

"You heard me love, we're gonna sail straight past the blighter, and weigh anchor over there" he told her, pointing far off into the distance. She followed the direction that he was pointing in, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"So we're going into battle with Harry Birch, to rescue your fair maidens, yet we are going to sail straight past him without so much as firing at them, and then we are going to weigh anchor in the open sea?" she asked, her tone incredulous. She grinned a mixture of white and gold at her expression.

"That's a bout right love" he told her, and then turned his back on her, and once more faced out across the calm waters as if no further explanation was necessary. She sighed dramatically, and with immense difficulty managed to tear herself away, storming off, only just avoiding the urge to slap some sense into the man until he at least offered a full explanation of his plan.

Harry whistled to himself as he headed down into the brig, he couldn't remember ever feeling happier, he had both his surviving girls back with him,, granted they could do with some manners beating into them, but still that was a solvable problem, and he was finally going to get to teach Sparrow a lesson, one that would cost his life. He laughed as he unlocked the only occupied cell, and moved forward. He grabbed hold of his former first mate with both hands, and dragged the slighter man from the brig. Scott Orchid went limp, knowing there was little use in fighting. Harry dragged him all the way onto the main deck and pinned him against the railing.

"Tell me Scotty, was it worth it?" he asked the man, spitting as he spoke.

"Was what worth it?" the younger man asked, unable to keep him voice from trembling as he spoke, he was afraid, he wasn't really afraid of dying, for oblivion was nothing to fear, he was more afraid of what would happen if he wasn't killed, Harry Birch was a very powerful man, and he could make life far worse to face than death.

"Helping those stupid bitches, betraying my trust to help worthless females, was that worth it?" the older man asked, his tone quiet, yet it sent shivers through the spine of the young sailor. Scott took a deep breath, and drew himself up to his full height.

"I am not going to say what you want to hear, for me it was worth it. I can not stand back and watch two helpless women get killed just for some stupid sense of revenge, a revenge that you are not owed I might add" the young man told him, his tone much bolder as the Captain angered him with his arrogance. Harry's face clouded over, he was used to people jumping when he clicked his fingers, and he was certainly not used to be spoken to in such a manner.

"You know nothing of revenge or justice, and how I chose to treat my daughters is my business, and you have no right to judge" Harry hissed in response. Pushing the smaller man closer to the edge. Scott grinned in satisfaction, he was winning, the older man was getting riled, and that was what he wanted.

"You don't deserve justice, for there is none to be sought" Scott spoke back, placing himself directly in the other man's face. Harry roared in anger at the insubordination he was being shown, and with one almighty shove the younger sailor was over the edge, a mix of flailing arms and legs, and then a loud splash as he broke the surface of the tranquil water beneath him.

"Bloody stupid fool, couldn't give a straight answer if his life depended on it" Ana muttered to herself as she paced up and down the deck.

"Do you think we should go and see what's got her so riled?" Will whispered to his fiancée, as he observed the female pirate's angry mutterings, only her appearance had managed to drag his concerned gaze away from his Captain friend.

"I think that there is only one thing that could have made her so irate, or more to the point only one person" Elizabeth responded. "Jack" the two of them responded at once, and exchanged a grin.

"To be honest I think it is woman's work to go and talk to her" Will continued a twinkle clear in his eye. Elizabeth rolled her eyes in response.

"Wimp" she muttered, then headed off to the only other woman on board, leaving Will to watch his friend once more.

"What has he done this time?" Elizabeth asked her new friend softly. Ana looked up and rolled her eyes.

"Just being himself" she replied, then turned on her heel and headed off clearly signalling that she didn't wish to discuss the matter further.

"Bloody Pirates!" Elizabeth muttered to herself, she be damned if she ever understood them.

End Chapter Thirty Nine


	40. Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, and deepest apologies for the delay in posting. Once again this chappy is not beta'd as I wanted to pos it in one night, so once again any mistakes are completely my own!

Please review!!!!

Chapter Forty

Scott Orchid surfaced coughing and gasping for air, luckily he had managed a fairly neat dive into the depths before, and he had judged his former Captain's arrogance just right, and the man hadn't even bothered checking that he was dead. He took a moment to take his breath and then started swimming, he already knew where he ad to head, he had to find Jack Sparrow and let him know exactly what Birch was planning. He looked around to get his bearings and then with a strength that he had thought had long since deserted him, he headed off.

Jack stood at the helm barely squinting against the harsh sunlight reflecting off the water. He was humming to himself, yet his mind was far away at that moment in time, and he shuddered as his mind drifted back to his last meeting with Harry Birch

_Flashback_

_"Jacky Jacky Jacky, to think you used to think I cared for you" Harry taunted his captive, as the pirate swung from the ceiling. He moved his whip from hand to hand, yet Jack didn't even flinch at the movement, he simply flashed his gold and white smile at the older man._

_"Tell me something 'arry, are you madder at me for not telling you what I did for me living, or at yourself for being the last one ta know 'bout it?" Jack asked the man, and Harry's temper flared as he lunged forward his fists raised, and he pummelled Jack's ribs, yet still the pirate Captain did not utter a sound. When Harry stopped his attack, exhausted from the exertion Jack further riled the older man by laughing. "Some hypocritical views ya got yeself there 'arry, ya doing this cos I'm a pirate and ye hate that way of life, yet ye have no problem with turning pirate yerself" Jack told him, his tone steely cold, and his eyes locked on the older man with a hard glint. Harry once more lunged forward with a snarl._

_"Don't you ever dare speak to me like that again pirate scum" he spat at the Captain, and once more Jack chuckled in his face, the next thing he knew a hard fist had connected with his face and all he saw was stars and then the World turned to black. _

_End of Flashback_

Jack sighed, he didn't regret speaking back to the other man, but despite everything he couldn't help but hold some affection for him. Throughout most of Jack's life he had never really had the love of a close family, and Harry Birch had shown him what that could be like, and that was the one thing that he would regret for ever more, the lose of that family. He sighed to himself, would things have been different if he had been honest from the start? He shook his head, in his mind he knew that no matter when Harry had found out he would still have reacted in the same way, yet his heart wanted for there to be some sort of get out. Some way to once more have that fatherly affection. He shook his head as tears threatened to fall, he had lost so much through his life friends, family and crew members, yet some hoe the loss of the family he had found with the Birchs was more painful than any other. He looked up towards the port of the ship and there his gaze caught Anamaria, he was mesmerized as the sun bounced off her dark skin and glossy hair. She was a beautiful lady, yet somehow she didn't realise it. He smiled as he thought of her reaction if she caught him staring at her, it would either be a firm slap around the face or that special smile that she seemed to save just for him. He chuckled God he was getting old these emotional thoughts had no place in the mind of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Julia hunched her slight figure up as she sat and watched her sister struggle for every breath, despite the best efforts of her and the former first mate even the cleanest bandages were stained crimson as she continued to bleed her life's fluid. She stifled her sob as she thought of the brave Scott, he had died because he had helped them, when were men going to stop dying because of her misplaced loyalty? Now one of her sisters was dead and the second one was dying and she could have prevented it happening in both cases, yet she hadn't and now she was going to join them dying at the hand of her father and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it. She sighed once more, and then moved slightly across the floor so that she could take her sister's hand in her own; she held it tightly and then began to speak softly.

"Vicky I am so sorry, once again I've screwed up and someone else is paying the costs, I tell you Vicky if I could change places with you I would. I am so sorry that I didn't believe what you were saying about Dad, I didn't know. I guess I was blind to it, but now I've opened my eyes and I know you were telling the truth al along. I am sorry, I'm so sorry" Julia whispered softly to her sister and allowed her tears to fall down her pale cheeks.

"Ah that was just touching! Breaks my heart that does, I love a bit of drama" Harry Birch spoke cockily from the doorway. Julia's head snapped up at the words, yet she bit her tongue, anything se said to him would be said in anger, and would not achieve anything other than to make the matter worse. "Oh nothing to say now your pretty boyfriend is dead huh? Well that's a shame, still at least you are still going to be around to see the main feature, yep you'll just love the part where Jack Sparrow finally meets his maker" Harry told the young girl, and her eyes narrowed at him yet still she managed to refrain from comment. He cackled at her, for her expression clearly showed her thoughts and then he once more walked away,  his laughter echoing through the ship.

End Chapter Forty

Please review and more will come this week!!


	41. Chapter Forty One

Chapter Forty One

Thank you all very much for your kind reviews! They are all much appreciated! As a special reward here is an extra long chapter for you!

Many thanks to the tremendous JackFan2 for once again beat reading for me, it is much appreciated!

Chapter Forty-One

Jack deftly sailed his ship, and the Pearl responded to his every subtle pressure on the wheel as he directed her precisely where he wanted. The feel of her beneath his hands made him grin himself. It was at times like these that he felt free, every decision was his own, no one could influence him and nothing could take that control away from him.

"Body in the water!"

The crewman's alert cut through his thoughts and he sighed, _well almost nothing_.

One quick gesture to the nearest crewmember and the man immediately stepped forward to take Jack's place at the helm. It was immediate the sense of loss he felt as he moved quietly away and joined Gibbs at the port side railing. The figure in the water raised his hand in the air and yelled out to the watching crew.

"Throw a rope down" the pirate captain instructed quietly. Jack was not the sort of Captain who ever really needed to shout.

Quick to answer, Gibbs threw down a rope and when he felt a tug on the other end the whole crew gave an almighty pull. Before long, a sodden Scott Orchid was dropped on his arse in a puddle on the deck of the Pearl. Before he got the chance to speak, a sword was thrust at his throat and his eyes trailed from point to hilt and he realized the man who held it was Captain Jack Sparrow. This gave him pause as he swallowed dryly.

"What the hell are you up to Sparrow?" Harry muttered to himself.

The Pearl had changed course to head horizontally along the line of his ship. With a sigh of frustration, Birch though inwardly how Jack had better not screw up his plan yet again- for if he did he was going to have to get really mad, and Jack really would not want to see him _really_ mad. With a deep guttural snarl Birch spun on his heel and headed back down to his daughters.

"Well, well, well, looks like he don't think as much of you two as I thought he did. The Sparrow has gone and flown straight past you," he taunted at his only conscious daughter.

Julia's eyes flashed with a heart felt anger, yet she knew that her father was simply trying to bait her. Determined not to give him the satisfaction, she simply bit her lip and pretended as best as she could that he wasn't there.

"Ah," Harry sneered, "the old _ignoring me_ trick huh? Well, you ain't seven now, ya know so that doesn't quite cut it with me!"

"Well I wish I was seven," Julia lashed out as she rose painfully to her feet, "I'd have killed you before you could ever have laid your filthy hands on Emma!" For her insolence she received a backhand to the face and crumpled to the floor unconscious.

"So let me get this straight, you were 'arry's first mate," Jack asked the smaller man before him. Scott nodded in agreement. "Then you decided that you didn't agree wit 'is principles so you made him think that he 'ad killed ya so that you could seek me out to warn me? Does that just about cover it?"

"Yes sir, Captain Sparrow, that just about covers it." he replied with a grimace. Even to his own ears he knew his story sounded unlikely.

Jack ran his fingers over his thin beard as if deep in thought, and then turned on his heel and re-sheathed his sword. He grinned broadly. "Well, welcome to the Pearl then lad," he greeted the man warmly with his flashy gold and white grin.

"You believe me?" Scott asked in astonishment,

"Yeah, way I figure is that if you were really trying to lie to me you'd come up with something far more believable than that," Jack told him with an all-knowing gaze. Scott shook his head to himself.

"Victoria was right about you- you are crazy," he told the infamous pirate Captain.

Jack chuckled for a moment, then realization at what the young man had said sunk in and the smile faded. "You know Victoria?" he asked. Then, he easily read the other man's expression. "That bastard's got her hasn't he?" he asked his whole demeanour changing in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, Scott was out of his seat and pinned against a wall, with the very angry face of Captain Jack Sparrow so close that he could feel the man's breath on his face. "He's got her hasn't he?" the pirate asked once more. The rage in his voice was palpable.

"Yes, yes he has." Scott managed between shaky breaths, "I tried to protect them honest I did! But I couldn't be with 'em all day every day"

"What has he done to 'em?" Jack asked his voice eerily quiet, yet the small amount of volume was a thin veil for the tension in his tone.

"He shot Victoria" Scott told the other man, and felt himself released and landed in a heap on the floor.

Losing his battle to remain calm, Jack sucked in a huge gulp of air through his teeth as the anger and concern threatened to drown him. He spun around and slammed his fist, hard, into the nearby wall.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled and with a guttural snarl he turned his attention back to Orchid, "You! You are gonna help us t' get that bastard, or you can die right now, what's it gonna be?" he asked his tone brooked no argument. Scott drew a shaky breath.

"Why do you think I'm here?" he replied, and Jack nodded- that was answer enough for him. Without a backward glance he had left the cabin and headed out back in deck. Scott took a few minutes to allow his heartache to settle down before following the pirate Captain.

Ana looked on in confusion at Captain Jack Sparrow. The crew jumped to obey his new command to change course which would head them directly across to their quarry, pouring on every sail they had as if the devil himself were on their tail.

A serious stony expression had settled on his face and Ana had no idea what was going on. What had suddenly made their Captain change his mind? Well, not one to wait for answers for Jack Sparrow was not one to provide them willingly, she straightened up and stormed to the helm fully intending to find out what the hell this was all about.

"What the hell is going on?" she yelled now standing beside him. Inwardly she flinched at the angry gaze that swung her direction, but as their eyes held, his expression softened and she felt oddly pleased by this.

"We're changing course, luv," he told her, and offered no further explanation.

"Yeah, I can figure that out for m'self, but why?" she questioned, unwilling to let him off the hook so easily.

"Cos he's declared a war, and we sure as hell ain't gonna be waving no white flag," he replied. The cold steel in his eyes caused an involuntary shudder to course through her body.

End Forty-One

Please Review!!!


	42. Chapter Forty Two

Chapter Forty Two

Hi guys thanks again for all of your reviews! And once again many thanks to the infamous JackFan2 for beta reading this for me!!

Chapter Forty Two

"That's it Jacky I knew I could rely on you to be as predictable as ever," Harry muttered to himself as he finally caught sight of the Black Pearl heading back towards him. The pirate was actually playing right into his hands and he laughed inwardly at the prospect of exacting his revenge.

It was time to move things to the next stage so Birch spun around and addressed his crew, "Right you morons you know what to do, this goes to plan and you will all be thoroughly rewarded. Now, bring the bitches up here, they're our leverage against the pirate scum." Birch told his crew. As usual, they snapped to his every word running quickly about to obey his command. With a gleam in his eye, he turned around once more to watch the approach of his nemesis.

From the deck of the Pearl, hands clasped behind his back, Jack Sparrow stood and watched, tensions evident in his stance as he drew them closer to their inevitable battle.

At that same moment, Will Turner also watched, but not the approaching ship, but instead he uneasily observed the abnormally quiet Captain with concern. Only barely recovered from his recent traumas, the blacksmith wondered just how ready his friend was for this undertaking. Recent developments, the girls he felt a kindred friendship, nearly a brother's responsibility for sent his emotions plunging even further downward.

Will signed to himself, this was definitely not going to end well no matter what the outcome. He closed his eyes against the image of the forlorn Captain and then turned away to leave Jack alone with his thoughts.

Making his way through the ship he sought out the solace of his fiancé, Elizabeth Swann, desperate to turn his thoughts elsewhere and lose himself in her soft brown eyes. But, what he saw when he opened the door to the cabin they shared, left him completely speechless. The woman he would take as his wife was just buttoning up a pair of borrowed breaches; he looked at her and simply raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Elizabeth asked in what she hoped to be an innocent tone of voice.

"What are you doing?" Will asked her, although he already knew all too well what she was up to.

"I am getting changed. I can hardly go into battle in a corset, now can I?" She responded, hoping to distract him with sarcasm. "I'd pass out half way through."

"Well then it doesn't matter to you does it? Since you won't be battling any one," he told her, and turned away the conversation ended.

When she didn't say anything, he soon turned back around, and regretted it. Out of nowhere a hand flew and he felt the sharp sting as the back of palm of her hand met the side of his head. Backing out of her reach, Will raised his hand to rub the spot where the missile had struck him, his shocked eyes searching Elizabeth's, yet she showed no remorse.

"You do not own me Will Turner, and I honestly expected better of you. Jack is my friend too and I feel I have earned the right to fight along side him. If you don't like it, then tough! But I shall fight and defend my friend" Elizabeth told the gob smacked blacksmith and then briskly walked past him to get herself armed.

Harry Birch looked around, and an unfamiliar feeling of pride swelled within him. Finally, his plan was reaching its climax, and long awaited vengeance would be his.

"Right men," Birch once more addressed his crew, "you know what we have got to do. All you need to worry about is overpowering Sparrow's crew, drawing Sparrow to jump to their defence. No worries as I assure you that his naturally pathetic, needy nature will make him do just that, and that is when revenge will be ours." The crew nodded their agreement. Satisfied, Harry nodded once before simply barking at the crew to clear off and do their duties.

Jack observed his crew gathered before him, eyeing each face as if committing every detail to memory. Pride swelled deep within him as they patiently awaited his encouraging words, it was a pride in the knowledge that each one would willingly give his, or her, life for the other. Indeed, it was a rare commodity on a pirate ship, and well Jack knew it.

"Gents, our aim is very simple. All we want to do is get the lasses and run, we don't even need to battle this. One thing," Jack held up one finger for emphasis, "I don't want any one laying a finger on Harry Birch," his head dropped slightly and his voice filled with venom, "he's mine."

The ominous tone brooked no argument and every one simply nodded. That didn't stop them, however, from exchanging worried glances, most of them aimed at Anamaria.

It seemed they all knew she held the captain's confidence and looked to her to implore on their commander's better judgement. At this moment, though, Anamaria knew she'd gone as far as she could and the time for arguing had come and gone. Jack was a force to be reckoned with when it came to his sense of revenge and justice, she only hoped it wouldn't get him killed. Just as she was about to turn away, she met Elizabeth's worried glance. The lad and lass were very fond of her captain Anamaria simply shook her head then turned away to prepare for the battle of their lives.

"Load the cannons!" Jack called out and his order was relayed throughout the ship.

Will and Elizabeth stood on either side of their friend, like sentries protecting their leader. Jack, however, seemed oblivious to their presence; so intent he was on his plan of action.

The command to fire was given and the first of the long nine's belched in response. Then, in rapid-fire succession, the port cannon's belched flame and smoke in response to the Captain's order. Reverberations travelled the length of the deck and Elizabeth jumped at the sensation.

As the opponent's cannon answered, Elizabeth found it difficult to brace herself for the impact and rocked on her heels as the Pearl lurched in the water. All of a sudden both ships were overwhelmed by a flurry of activity as cannon fire volleyed between the two ships. Wood creaked and splinters flew, Birch's ship lost its bow-sprite, and the Pearl's topsail was sent billowing into the water. Having drawn closer, both ships managed to inflict and sustain a fair amount of damage, but the crew's fought on, heedless of the incessant pounding and what that might mean in the face of retreat, or the aftermath.

"Right this is it prepare to board!" Jack yelled as the Pearl got close to the port side of their adversary.

The Black Pearl had already taken a number of hits from its opponents cannons but, Jack had the uneasy feeling that Birch was trying to force them into hand-to-hand combat. Instinct warned him that this played straight into the hands Birch and gave him and his crew the initiative. Desperate to get to the girls, however, Jack ignored the inner warning and continued to lead his crew onward.

Grappling hooks were tossed from both sides and as the ships stood secured to one another hands from both ships swung across and the battle ensued. Through the swell of battle, through the acrid smell of gunpowder, shouts of victory and moans of pain, Jack continued to lead, and one by one they fell Birchs' men.

Momentarily without an adversary, Jack surveyed his crew and allowed a small grin of satisfaction to slide across his face. As the battle raged, the opponent's crew dwindled in numbers. Gibbs and Anamaria battled fiercely and each managed victory without so much as a scratch, so far. Scott Orchid too fought desperately against his former crew mates- however the biggest surprise came in the form of Elizabeth Swann. She fought like a true pirate using tricks that even Jack wouldn't stoop to. He chuckled slightly to himself although he soon dragged back into the action.

Just as he thought that the fight might be drawing to a close a harsh hush seemed to dawn across the ship and it didn't take long for him to discover why. The crowd of pirates parted and down the path walked four of Harry's crew; split into pairs each dragged one of the Birch girls. Held to each of their heads, Jack realized in horror, was a gun, cocked and ready. That small entourage parted and a rather smug looking Harry Birch sauntered forward.

"Hiya, Jack!" Birch intoned happily. A wicked grin slithered across his face. "We meet again!"

End Chapter Forty-Two

Please review!! Seriously I beg you!!!!


	43. Chapter Forty Three

Chapter Forty Three

Hey guys thank you all so much for your reviews throughout the course of this extremely long story, it really means a lot especially the amount of you that have stuck with it since the beginning. Many thanks to you all and please keep the reviews coming.

Sincere apologies for the delay in posting this- still having problems with internet connections etc, also I haven't got this chappie betad due to lack of time so any mistakes are my own- so sorry for any glaring errors.

Chapter Forty Three

Jack plastered a grin on his face- determined that the man before him would not see how much he had affected him.

"Hello 'Arry. How ya been mate?" Jack asked in his usual slurred cheerful tone, Harry grinned back at him.

"I have been keeping well thank you Jack, glad to see that you have recovered from our last meeting just in time for me to kill you" Harry responded, and Jack slipped him a wink with a broad grin.

"Na Harry, we both know that that ain't gonna happen now don't we?" he replied, arrogance carried through his voice. Harry tilted his head to one side and aimed a puzzled expression at the apparently crazy pirate Captain.

"And how exactly do you think you are going to overpower my entire crew, get both of the girls, kill me and safely escape to your own ship?" Harry asked his tone carrying his sarcasm. Jack chuckled as if Harry had just told him a hilarious joke.

"Why it's quite simple really, ya see I'm Captain Jack Sparrow" Jack responded attaching his trademark grin to his usual statement. Ana shot a quizzical look at her Captain, unsure of where he was heading with this, yet either he didn't notice or he was unwilling to acknowledge her so no response came. Harry rolled his eyes and tutted in disgust.

"You always were so arrogant, but I don't seem to remember you being quite so mad" Harry retorted, shaking his head as if disbelieving the other man's attitude to the situation. Jack tilted his head to one side, the grin immediately gone from his face.

"It's funny that 'arry, you calling me mad and all. See from where I'm standing it's a bit like pot calling kettle black. You stand here already murdered one daughter, kidnapped the other two and shot one of them. Not to mention the torture of innocent pirate Captain's, and yet you dare to call me mad, now that is interesting" Jack responded his dialogue rushed out in one breath, his straggly beard between his fingers as he spoke, his other arm rested across his middle, his hand lightly touching the hilt of his sword. Harry's face clouded over immediately his sword in hand and pressed closely to Jack's throat in the blink of an eye.

"You killed Emma, Sparrow, no one but you! Your hand may not have been on the trigger but you did kill her" Harry hissed in the pirate's face, and Ana could swear that she saw a flash of regret cross her friend's eyes.

"Na see last I heard it was her mad sod of a father" Jack responded, ducking just as a potentially fatal blow was delivered to where his head had been just seconds before. "Yeah worse than a rabid dog apparently, too blind by his own opinions that he couldn't see the truth that everybody else saw" jack continued, getting exactly the reaction he had hoped for. Harry lunged towards the younger man sword drawn and being pushed towards the pirate's chest, in a split second the pirate Captain had his own sword in his hand, and the clash of metal soon filled the air. Ana stood to one side her expression a mask of concern for the man she loved. Will and Elizabeth stood to each side of her, their own worry matching hers. All of them were all to aware of Jack's skill with a blade, yet the other man was clearly mad, and mad men seemed to run on some supernatural energy, plus the fact that Jack was still recovering from his serous injuries.

"This is wrong" Ana muttered more to herself than anything, yet Will turned his head towards her.

"Why what is it?" he asked, his voice heavy with concern.

"This is exactly what Birch wanted, there is something going on" she explained, desperate to do anything to help her Captain, yet she was helpless this was Jack's battle and she had to let him fight it. Will stood back, he knew that Ana was right, hell Jack knew that Ana was right, and Will didn't doubt for a second that Jack had already thought of that long before he even stepped foot on the ship- yet it was something that he had to do. Jack Sparrow may be a pirate the scurge of the seas, but he was also a loyal and honorable man, yep Jack was a good man who was more than willing to risk his own life in a attempt to rescue those that he thought of as his family, Will shuddered at the thought- he hoped more than anything that it would come to that.

Jack parried each blow, keen to stretch this fight out, for even in his only recently recovered condition he was still a lot fitter than the older Birch, yet something about the entire situation still nagged at the back of his mind. He had no doubt at all that Harry was up to something, the only question was what? Unfortunately for Jack he got his answer much sooner than expected, when in an unexpected move Harry sidestepped raised his hands and forcefully pushed the pirate back, nicking his arm with his blade as he did so. Then through the waters of the Caribbean the sound of a gunshot resounded.

End Chapter Forty Three

Please review!


	44. Chapter Forty Four

Chapter Forty Four

Hi guys, sorry for the incredibly long delay in posting, but my police training is already only leaving me with about twelve hours spare to spend with my family, and the training college is a long way from home! Anyway I am sure it will all be worth it in the end, especially since I only have four more weeks, and then I am off for two weeks over Christmas, next back there for another six weeks, but I am sure that it will fly by!

Anyway I am going to try and post a bit sooner next time. Many thanks for all of your kind reviews, please keep them coming as they do help me to write faster, unfortunately this has once again not been beta read as I only have internet access for today, and couldn't possibly expect the poor lass to read it, correct it and send it back that quickly, so any mistakes are my own please forgive me for them!!

Chapter Forty Four

Elizabeth sucked in a huge gulp of air as the World seemed to move in slow motion, the gun had fired, the fatal bullet flying through the air. She gasped as the fight drew to a dramatic remission as the cowardly Birch pulled his weapon, and Jack immediately covered in blood.

Will heard his fiancée gasp in shock and horror, and he himself shared the same reaction as his hatred for Harry Birch shot up yet another level. He closed his eyes as he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces, the whole ship was entombed in silence as nobody could quiet fathom exactly what had just occurred.

Ana felt a lone tear stream down her face, she felt as though Birch had plunged his arm into her chest and dragged her still beating heart from her chest, and then trampled on it. How could one man be so cowardly and cold towards another human being? The man claimed that his actions were out of loathing for pirates yet what he had done was an act far below any that a pirate themselves would carry out- nor wish on anybody else. She stifled a sob, the World seemed colder some how, her tears displayed, anger- how after everything could Harry have won?, hurt- for the love snatched away, and pain- for her heart would never again beat the same.

Gibbs felt a roar tear from his chest as his Captain's blood soaked form had hit the deck- Jack had shown him how a Captain should be, and he loved the younger man for it. Captain Sparrow had become the son that he had never realized he had actually wanted- and had returned the affection in eth only way he knew how. Gibbs had never met a more loyal man- which in itself was a rare commodity in the pirating World. Sure, lately he had been through the ringer, but Jack was still twice the man that Birch would ever even aspire to be- but Gibbs wasn't sure if even jack could ounce back from this one.

Julia Birch didn't even bother trying to hide the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Her sister's limp form was being supported by one of her father's henchmen and the man that had come to save them both now lay flat out on the deck covered in blood. She bit her lip to suppress the sobs from leaving her tortured soul.

Jack felt a heavy object impact with his midsection and send him hurtling to the ground, a split second later a hot pain lanced through his chest, leaving traces of agony in its wake. He gasped as he realized the dirty dog had once more sunk to tricks to try to better the pirate, and anger coursed through his veins as he thought of everything that Birch had done to him. Slowly his mind cleared from the fog surrounding his thoughts, as he bit down on the pain. Once he had managed to get his bearings his thoughts immediately followed suit, and he noticed a heavy weight on his chest- that didn't seem to stem from his injury. He looked up as far as he could, and his glassy eyes set upon an image that he knew he would see in his dreams for many years to come.

End Chapter Forty Four

Please review!!!


	45. Chapter Forty Five

Chapter Forty Five

Once again many thanks for all of the reviews, as you may have bee able to tell from my a/n at the beginning of the last chapter I had been trying to post that for a few weeks, but for some reason hasn't been nice to me lately and has struggled to allow me to post. Anyway here is the next chapter, please keep the reviews coming. I only have one week left before I am on Christmas break so this story should be coming to a close within the next couple of weeks, please stick with me for a little while longer!!!

Chapter Forty Five

Jack sighed and felt a familiar pull in his chest, no matter how many times he got shot it was something that you never get used to, and he could feel the hot flow of blood staining his midsection and taking his life with him, but Jack Sparrow was nothing if he wasn't stubborn and there was no way in hell he was going to let Harry Birch be the one that took Captain Sparrow out for the last time. With a grunt from exertion Jack began to pull himself up, the unfamiliar weight still pushing down on his chest, he took as deep a breath as he could muster and then heaved the sadly deceased body of Scott Orchid from on top of him. He shook his head in sorrow, to think that he hadn't trusted the man and yet it was he that had saved Jack's life. He staggered to his feet.

"Resorting to topping off your own crew now have ya Harry?" Jack taunted the older man, his voice betraying none of the sorrow or pain that he felt in his soul at that moment.

Ana watched with tears in her eyes as her beloved Captain struggled to his feet, she couldn't help the relief that she felt in her heart as she saw he was alive, wounded sure but able to walk and talk. The moment she had seen him fall to the deck her heart had shattered as she was sure that she had lost him for good, and that truly would have been more than she could have taken. She honestly didn't know when she had fallen in love with Jack, she just knew that without him her life would be empty, yet somehow the words never truly left her heart and made it to her lips to tell the insatiable pirate.

She cast her gaze down and caught sight of the still form of Scott Orchid, his eyes open and lifelessly staring back at her. She closed her eyes in respect and sent a silent prayer up to the lord that he had saved Jack, she immediately felt guilty for her thoughts, but she also knew that if she had been given the choice, of saving one or the other, Jack would win every time. She did feel sad that they had lost a good man that day, but her time for mourning would come later, much later when all of this was behind them and she knew that Jack was okay then she would shed her tears for Scott Orchid.

Elizabeth's heart was hammering so fast in her chest she was convinced that it would burst out at any second. Jack was covered in blood and she could tell that a good portion of it was his own, yet the stubborn man refused to give up, he just stood before the evil Birch with his sword in his hand, she could see the pain lines around his face, yet the eccentric pirate had a cold steely determination evident in his chocolate eyes. At this rate and this about of concern and worry she would find herself in an early grave within the next year or so. She couldn't deny the fact that she was extremely fond of Jack Sparrow, and every time he got hurt she wanted to sob at the injustice of the World that kept kicking the daft Captain.

"Come on Jack, it's obvious you've had it, why not make it easier for yourself and your crew and give up now?" Birch taunted the young bleeding man before him, he was sure that Jack was done for sure, he was covered in his own blood and was swaying as he stood, yet there was something about the pirate that caused a involuntary shiver to run through his spine. Jack chuckled in response.

"Harry mate, ain't you learnt nothing yet. I don't give up, and do you wanna know why?" Jack slurred at the larger man before him. "Cos I'm Captain Jack Sparrow and that's why" he continued, his voice betraying none of the agony that he felt in his body and soul. He steadily raised his sword out in front of him and after gently bringing it to his face and mock saluting with it he extended it before him, ready once more for battle. There and then Harry Birch was the one thing on his mind, and he held all of his attention, and this time he was going to die. Harry physically started at the pirate's reaction, he himself was feeling exhausted and expected Jack to be far worse off since he had a heavily bleeding wound, but no the pirate stood before him looking as though he was ready and fully prepared to take on the World, and for the first time Birch was afraid.

"So you ain't satisfied that one of your crew has already died, you are willing to cost the rest of them their lives as well are you?" Birch asked the smaller man before him, deliberately trying to goad the man into acting in anger, and once more showing that he had truly never known Jack Sparrow. Jack laughed once more, resisting the urge to wince as the action pulled on his gunshot wound.

"You really don't get it do ya 'arry? They are here cos they wanna be here, this is what they chose it ain't because bribed or bullied 'em into it. You will never understand what loyalty is will ya 'arry?" Jack responded, his voice taking on a sad tone at the end. He truly did feel sorry for the older man, it didn't meant that he liked him any more, but he did pity him. He had got ideas so firmly settled in his small mind that he hadn't been able to see the man that he had loved as a son when he was stood before him simply because of his chosen way of life, and that had cost him the life of one daughter and the respect of the other two, and if that wasn't sad then Jack didn't know what was, but he was still going to kill the man. Harry startled at the pirate's words, his anger resurfacing.

"Loyalty you say? Loyalty was what got my daughter killed, loyalty was the death of young Orchid there, what good does loyalty do when it only gets people killed?" Harry ranted in response, once more unsheathing his sword, and pointing it at the pirate Captain before him. "Loyalty is what caused you so many years of anger and pain, yet you still believe it in, where's the loyalty in your life Jack huh? You got nobody same as you did before you met me and after I kicked you out like I should have done long before" Harry continued, a satisfied smirk covering his face as he saw the pain he was causing the younger man.

"You wanna see loyalty 'arry? You look around you. Loyalty is all around ya" Jack told him gesturing to where his own crew stood watching in awe as their Captain spoke with an unfamiliar passion, gone was the usual almost drunken slurring and swagger and in its place was a clear crisp voice that spoke confidently and with a passion usually reserved for when the Captain spoke of the Pearl. "That there is loyalty 'arry, they don't stay stood there because I am paying them for there are no riches here for them to gain, they don't stand there because they have a grudge with you, they are here because I am their Captain Jack told the older man, neither his voice nor his sword wavering once. Harry shook his head in disgust.

"Well I pity them and I pity you, all it I going to bring you is death" Birch hissed at the pirate and at the same time lunged forward with his sword extended before him, once more the battle had resumed.

End Forty Five

I promise I will post sooner then next, please review!


	46. Chapter Forty Six

Chapter Forty Six

Thank you all once more for your wonderful reviews, I seriously cannot believe the response that I have had to this story, I am very happy with all of your reviews, but I do beg you to keep them coming!!

Chapter Forty Six

Jack swiftly side stepped at the older man's sloppy attack.

"Well that ain't the way to do it now is it Harry?" Jack teased the older man, the pirate was no fool he knew that the angrier somebody got the less you had to fear their attacks. He chuckled as the older man's face turned a bright red colour as his anger overtook him. With a beastly roar the larger man once more charged towards the injured pirate Captain, in his debilitated state Jack wasn't quite fast enough to totally move out of the way in time, and as a result he received a glancing blow to the side of his head. He shook his head forcefully to clear the cobwebs that now gathered there.

"You ain't so clever no are ya Jack?" Birch laughed at the pirate, and Jack tilted his head to one side as if intently listening to something or somebody, and then with a final shake of his head the pirate had once more raised his sword and the two men were well and truly locked into battle.

Elizabeth watched in shocked fascination as the two men fought, blow after blow rained down as the swords clashed together and separated in the blink of an eye. It was impossible for her to even tell who was winning as every time one gained an advantage the other robbed them of it. She had never seen Jack looking so serious, his face set in a grim line of a mixture of concentration and pain as he tried to take down the murderer before him who had partly shaped his life. She gasped every time a blow came within a hairbreadth of her friend, yet every time he managed to avoid it with lightning speed that should have been impossible for any human being, let alone one who was currently leaving half of his life fluid on the deck of the ship. She didn't know what they would do if Jack lost this fight, but if she was honest with herself did she really think that this was a battle that Jack could win?

Ana felt herself ducking with every blow that came heading towards Jack, and resisted the urge to cheer every time that he parried, she knew that Jack was an excellent swordsman, but he was also seriously wounded and exhausted, and if this went on too much longer then Jack would be lost, and there was no way that she could let that happen. She audibly gasped as Jack received a jagged slash across his forearm, however it didn't keep him down for long enough.

Jack barely felt the blade plunge into his arm, he was so intent on finishing what he come to do, the blade had barely completed the arc that had resulted in his injury before his sword was thrust forward with all his strength directly into the ribs of the man stood before him. Harry turned shocked, glazed eyes onto his one time son. Jack showed no reaction, he simply pulled his sword back, leaving a clean straight through wound on the older man. Harry looked down to the fatal wound, the shock written all over his face.

"You know that when you lunge like that mate, you leave no cover at al over your midsection" Jack told the dying man quietly. His tone level and serious, his eyes showing a thousand emotions, he knew in his heart that part of him had not wanted to kill his one time surrogate father, despite everything that he had done to the pirate Jack couldn't help some of the fond memories returning to the forefront of his mind, even as he saw the life ebbing out of the fallen man, but he had had no option. He turned around and skimmed his eyes over the crowd in front of him, until he reached the gaze of Julia Birch; he noticed a tear rolling down her fair cheek and a look of anguish upon her beautiful face. He couldn't stand the intensity of the hate on her features, so he looked quickly away. The ship seemed to have come to a standstill as neither crew quite knew what to do. Jack visibly shook himself out of his reverie, before turning to his crew.

"Well what are ye waiting for? You lazy dogs have got work to do!" he yelled out, and without a moment's hesitation the crew of the Black Pearl set to work rounding up Birch's men, Jack found himself sagging against the railing at the edge of the ship, as the all of his energy drained from him now that the battle was drawing to a close. He looked up, barely managing the energy of raising his eyes, and he soon found the concerned gazes of Ana, Elizabeth, Gibbs and Will firmly fixed on him; he offered them a weak grin and then allowed his attention to move elsewhere. He looked back to where Julia had been standing and his heart leapt as he saw her bent down on the floor gently rocking the still and blood soaked form of Victoria.

End Chapter Forty Six

Please review!!!!


	47. Chapter Forty Seven

Chapter Forty Seven

Well here we are guys on the home stretch. Many thanks for all of the wonderful reviews I have received, there are now only a couple of chapters remaining before this story draws to its final close. Please stick with me for a just a little while longer and keep the reviews coming!

Chapter Forty Seven

Jack took a deep breath to steady his racing heart and then slowly walked across to the two young women huddled on the floor, he turned pained filled chocolate eyes upon the sobbing woman, questioning silently.

"She tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen, all these years wasted, if I had only listened" Julia sobbed at the pirate Captain. Jack turned his puzzled gaze towards the broken woman, silently willing her to continue, but too afraid to verbalise in case it caused her to stop talking completely. "That night when Emma died, Vicky tried to tell me it weren't your fault, but I wouldn't listen. I was so blind, this is all my fault" she told him, her voice raising in pitch with every word, he gasped at her shocked at her self loathing tone, it was only then that he turned his attention to the still form resting in the young woman's arms. It was then that he noticed the lifeless eyes staring back at him.

Ana gasped when she finally realized that the woman laying flat out on the deck was somebody that Jack held very close to his heart, she was also someone who was very much dead. She closed her eyes against the tears that were welling up in her tired eyes. She hadn't ever known the girl but somehow the thought of any father doing that to his own daughter just to hurt somebody was so callous she could barely fathom it despite her own background. She sighed to herself, this was yet another blow to Jack's already badly damaged psyche, and she wasn't sure if this would be a wound that any of them could sooth.

Gibbs closed his eyes against the image before him, he had seen many atrocities during his time in the Navy and caused many sailing as a pirate, but he had never seen such soul deep pain as that currently reflecting in his Captain's chocolate coloured eyes. He felt a shiver cursing through his frame as he caught sight of the younger man. He cursed the gods that had dealt this hand to his friend, he deserved so much better than this, no heart could stand so much pain in such a short time, hell not even in a lifetime. Though somehow Jack's heart continued to beat, although every time he was dealt a new blow a tiny bit more closed itself off to the World, and no man could live with only half a heart.

Will placed his arm tenderly around his sobbing fiancée, his own gaze locked on his friend. The two young Port Royal residents could hardly believe that the broken man before them was the might Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl, for he was kneeling on the ground, covered in his own blood, with his eyes tightly squeezed shut and moisture running silently down his pale cheeks. Will pulled his young lady closer trying to prevent her from catching a glimpse of the sight before him, trying to protect her from the nightmares that he knew would haunt him for some time to come.

Jack's entire body was covered in scrapes and bruises, not to mention a bullet wound yet he felt no physical pain. His glassy eyes were fixed on the broken body of Victoria Birch, the only person who had had faith in him all those years ago. The woman that had walked away from her father and her life because of him, she had taken this side and this was the consequence of her action. Yet another life taken because of him. He closed his eyes and desperately tried to prevent the tears from falling, yet he knew that he had failed as he felt the moisture trickle down his cheek. He bit down hard on his lip to prevent a sob from escaping him, after all Captain Jack Sparrow didn't cry. He opened his eyes and forced himself to meet the hate filled gaze of Julia, yet what he met there was almost his undoing, for the familiar burn of hate had disappeared and had bee replaced by sadness, and pity.

"I am so sorry" Jack told her, his tone cracked as his emotions overtook him. He squeezed his eyes shut once more, the sound of the battle raging behind him echoing in his ears as he thought of how many more lives would be lost that day all because of him. He was snatched out of his thoughts by a gentle touch pushing his chin back up, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times to clear his foggy vision as the blood loss caught up with him. He was shocked to find that the tender touch belonged to Julia, who was looking at him with no animosity in her gaze.

"How could I have been so wrong?" she asked the pirate captain before her so quietly that he struggled to hear the soft words. He raised his brow at her, not understanding what she was meaning with her words. She blinked several times to clear the tears from her blood shot eyes. "All these years I have kept away from her, thinking that she betrayed the family. I thought that she had been disloyal, that she had protected the person that had caused Emma's death- you. All this time I was so wrong" Julia told him, no longer able to suppress the tears that were rolling down her pale blood smeared cheeks. Jack gasped as her words registered in his foggy mind. She smiled weakly at him, with a tenderness in her eyes that he could never recall seeing before. "No Jack, you shouldn't be saying sorry to me, I should be to you. I have hated you for so long believing that you caused Emma's death, I was blind, and only now have I been able to see" she told the shocked man before her, Jack shook his head in response the words proving too much for his already damaged heart as his confused mind clouded over and his world tilted before turning to black his last conscious thought was to register the shocked gasp of the young woman beside him.

End Chapter Forty Seven


	48. Chapter Forty Eight

Chapter Forty Eight

Hey guys, I am back again! You can't get rid of me lately! Anyway I am aiming to finish this mammoth of a story by the very beginning of the New Year, thank you to all of those that reviewed the last 47 chapters please keep the reviews coming for the last few!

Also many thanks to everybody that reviewed my little festive one shot, I appreciate the review!

Chapter Forty Eight

Jack could clearly feel a rather vindictive drummer performing a rather large rendition of a marching tune in his skull. He didn't know how he had got into his skull and how he was managing to cause the incessant throbbing, Jack just knew that if it didn't stop soon he was going to cut his own head off just to cause a reprise from it. The pirate captain couldn't quite hold back the groan that escaped him. He attempted to open his eyes and could hear a muffled voice calling to him, seemingly from a long distance away. He could tell that whoever it was wanted him to open his eyes, but in reality all he wanted to do was to tell whoever it was to clear off, yet somehow he didn't think that that would go down too well.

Elizabeth stood to one side and waiting with baited breath as the pirate Captain showed the first signs of life for many hours. She stepped forward so that she was only a matter of inches away from him and quietly called out his name, hoping that the voice may help to guide him back from the darkness that currently encompassed him. With a mighty groan one of Jack's mocha eyes opened grudgingly, and Elizabeth allowed a sigh of relief to escape her.

"Jack? Jack can you hear me?" she asked, keeping her voice as soft as possible, although obviously not soft enough as he groaned at the sound.

"Of course I can with you shouting like that" he replied, his voice a mere whisper and very weak to her ears. She smiled in response glad that he seemed lucid enough. "What's going on?" he asked quietly, his voice cracking with misuse and his eyes remaining firmly shut.

"We set sail, we are docked just off from Port Royal. We had to fetch a doctor, there are a number injured. He is going to be in to see you shortly" she told him, and was mildly concerned by his lack of reaction, ordinarily Captain Jack, would walk the land with his leg hanging off rather than admit to pain or see a doctor, yet here he had practically conceded defeat. "Will you be okay for a moment? I will go and see where the doctor is" she asked him, and her concern escalated with his response.

"Yeah you can go love, just make sure you take the bleeding drummer with ya" he told a confused Elizabeth Swan. She offered no reply to his strange words and headed off to find the doctor.

Elizabeth soon found the doctor, he was stood to one side rubbing his shaking hand over his obviously exhausted face. Stood beside him was her fiancé Will. She shot a questioning glance at her fiancé and he sighed deeply.

"Three of the crew have died of their injuries and there are still a number for the doctor to tend to" Will explained. Elizabeth furiously blinked back the tears that began to well in her eyes.

"Jack just woke up, he seemed confused and in pain" she told the two men stood before her. The doctor sighed to himself, he hated having his patients dying every time he lost someone he felt as though he had failed them, and he had seen how grievously the pirate captain had been injured and wasn't sure that he wouldn't end up failing him too.

"Okay I shall come now, I still have a number of crew members to see to, but the Captain is as good a place as any to start" the doctor responding his tone weary with exhaustion. Elizabeth nodded and proceeded to lead him to the Captain's cabin.

Some time later Will was exhausted, completely and utterly exhausted. He felt drained both physically and emotionally. He has watched his friend go through so many different types of hell in the last months that he honestly didn't think he could stand to see his friend in pain one more time. He sighed to himself and cast his gaze around him, he was stood waiting with his friends. Elizabeth stood to one side looking as exhausted as he felt. Then beside her were Gibbs and Anamaria, all four of them stood in complete silence, each of them eagerly awaiting news on their friends. They felt like vultures as they stood awaiting the appearance of the doctor, yet none of them could help it so many of the crew had lost their lives or been injured. The four were so deeply lost in their own thoughts, that they almost missed the doctor's reappearance that they had all been so eagerly awaiting.The doctor approached them, his mouth set in a firm line as if he didn't quite know how to break the news to them.

"Well how is he?" Will asked, at seeing the expression on the doctor's face.

"I am really sorry, his injuries are very grave, I honestly don't think that there is much I will be able to do. I have cleaned his wounds and bandaged tehm, but I fear it may be too late" the doctor told them, and then nodded his farewell leaving the shocked group behind.

End Chapter Forty Eight

I promise I will update next weekend but please review!!!


	49. Chapter Forty Nine

Chapter Forty Nine

Wow! Thank you for the number of reviews for the last chapter! Was I cruel huh? Didn't you like my little cliffie to make sure you were still paying attention? Anyway thanks again, please keep them coming as there is only one more chapter after this one and I would love to make it to 300 reviews for this story, so please please please review!!!

Chapter Forty Nine

Ana blinked back the tears from her eyes, determined to remain strong for her friend.

"Has anyone told Jack yet?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion. The doctor shook his head to the negative.

"No, I haven't told him anything yet" he replied, his eyes telling her exactly what he expected of her. She sighed deeply.

"Then I expect that it is up to me to do so" she replied finally. Her face was drawn and her exhaustion was clearly apparent to anybody that looked at her, Gibbs sighed in sadness as he took in her features.

"Don't ye worry lassie I shall come with ye" he told her after a moment, he himself was exhausted, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Anamaria alone and he had to admit that he wanted to see Jack for himself. Ana nodded her grateful consent and together the two made their way into the Captain's cabin without a backward glance. Silently the two pirates made their way to their fallen Captain, each dreading the forthcoming discussion as much as the other. The two entered the darkened room soundlessly and each surveyed the still form before them. Jack lay on his back, his torso swathed in stark white bandages matched only by the deathly pallor of his ordinarily tanned skin. His eyes were closed tightly, although both pirates could tell that he was not sleeping, as his breathing was irregular and his eyes were held tightly shut as if in pain. Ana stepped forward quietly and gently perched herself on the edge of his bed.

"Jack?" she whispered softly, and after a moment his eyes blinked open to reveal pain filled depths beneath. Ana leant forward and took hold of his hand, and then Gibbs also moved closer as if to offer strength to his two friends.

"What's going on?" Jack asked his voice croaky and weak from lack of use. Ana blinked furiously trying to prevent her emotions from showing, whether to protect herself or her Captain she didn't know, but she jus knew that to let a few tears through would open the floodgates fully and she had no intention of letting that happen.

"Jack I don't know if you know but Harry Birch and his crew caused a lot of deaths in the crew and a lot of injuries" Ana told him softly, trying desperately to keep her voice steady.

"Who have we lost?" Jack asked, his tone telling a thousand stories of a hundred emotions.

"Johnny, Mick, Red Tail, and Bendicks are all gone" Gibbs told his friend, and Jack closed his eyes against the new pain he felt in his heart. Ana looked away unable to bring herself to upset the man even further.

"The thing is Jack, I have just spoken to the doctor and it gets worse. After he had seen to you he went to see Cotton" Ana told him and she could tell that Jack was already adding up what she was going to tell him. "The doc seems to think that he ain't got long left" she told him, and was unable to hold back the tears any longer, for saying the words made the story true, and she wanted more than anything for that not to be the case. Jack squeezed his eyes tightly shut, he hadn't known Cotton for all that long, but the man had found a firm place within his heart, he had pulled him out of many a tight situation and he couldn't bare the thought that a good man had lost his life because of him. He shook his head as if trying to erase the thought, yet he was unable so with a groan he swung his shaky legs over the edge of the bed and attempted to get to his feet.

"What the 'ell do you think you are doing Jack?" Ana asked angrily.

"What do ya think I'm doing? I'm going to see Cotton ain't I?" he responded hotly, still trying to get himself to his feet, yet his body was steadfastly refusing to obey his command.

"Oh no you don't, you're hardly in one piece yourself there is no way you are traipsing across this ship in your condition" Ana told him, matching his tone.

"Like hell, I am the Captain of this ship and I will go where I want" he replied, and the sight of him trying to get to his feet would have been amusing if not for the seriousness behind the action.

"Well you can damn well get yourself up then" Ana responded, and stood back with her arms crossed in front of her with a stern expression on her face. Jack sighed and tehn coughed for what felt like an age as the action caused more agony to shoot through his already fragile chest.

"Ana please?" he asked not liking the begging tone to his voice one bit. "Cotton is dying cos of me. People are injured cos of my orders and my past, the least I can do is go and see him" Jack told her, refusing to meet her eyes in case she could see the pain he was in. She sighed, that man could talk his way out of anything she had always known it yet she still found herself unwilling and unable to refuse him.

"Oh right ya daft beggar" she replied and nodded at Gibbs to help the smaller man to struggle to his feet. The three then slowly and painfully made their way to Cotton's death bed, determined to make it as easy a parting as possible for a good man and a good friend.

"Oh god!" Will cursed, and Elizabeth looked up in the direction he was facing, just to find herself looking straight at Norrington. She refrained from the gasp that threatened to escape her. He made his way straight across to the young couple.

"Looks like it was quite a battle" he commented seriously, and there was no pleasure in his tone.

"It was, one that cost the Pearl dearly" Will replied, the sadness evident in his tone. Norrington looked up sharply.

"And Captain Sparrow I trust he is well?" the commodore asked, unable to hide the concern in his voice, Will raised an eyebrow that refused from commenting, figuring that it would have cost the older man enough just to even ask.

"Jack was badly injured, but the doctor seems to think he will be just fine given time and rest, it is more the loss that will pain him for many years to come" Will replied, his gaze lost out to sea as he cast his mind over what his friend had lost in the recent few months. Norrington nodded thoughtfully, he couldn't quite fathom exactly when he had stopped despising Jack Sparrow and started favoring him with a grudging respect but there was no way he would ever admit that out loud.

"Do you think I might be able to speak to him?" he asked after a moment. The blacksmith cast his glance across to the other side of the ship where Jack stood leaning against the railing looking out across the vast expanse of ocean before him.

"He's over there, but I would be careful he has just said farewell to a very good friend" Elizabeth told the Navy man when her fiancée offered no reply to his question. The whole ship was still smarting after the brief funeral of the much loved pirate, but jack more than anyone had been devastated by the loss. Norrington nodded his thanks and slowly approached the pirate Captain.

"If you wanna hang me I'll come quietly" Jack spoke, shocking the commodore as he hadn't even spoken. He stepped closer to the pirate Captain, and was shocked by what he saw. He younger man was stooped over the railing, his shoulders slumped in defeat and his face as pale as a bandages wrapped around his injured chest.

"I have no interest in hanging you Captain Sparrow" Norrington replied, and received a quirked eyebrow from the surprised pirate at the use of his title. "I am merely here to see if you are all right" he continued, further shocking the smaller man before him.

"Aye, I'm just dandy" Jack responded, turning his attention back to the sea as the waves gently splashed against his home.

"Just remember it wasn't your fault, and despite your choice of occupation it doesn't necessarily define you" Norrington told him, and with a squeeze of the shoulder he turned and walked away leaving a shell shocked Captain in his wake.

End Chapter Forty Nine

Hah!! How many of you though I had killed Jack?!?!?!? Tricked ya! But poor Cotton! Anyway please review only one more chapter to go!!


	50. Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty

It's here, this is it the final chapter. This is a bittersweet moment for me, to know that after all this time the end is here. This story feels like an old friend to me, and I am quite sad to be leaving it behind now. I do hope that those of you that have read this piece all of the way through have enjoyed it, and aren't disappointed with the path that I chose to take. I also thank you for sticking with me as I have had such a busy time in the last few months that updates haven't always been as regular as I would have liked. Anyway I am going to post my individual thanks at the bottom of this chapter along with a teaser for the sequel, however the posting of the sequel will depend on how many reviews I get for this story! (See I may be grateful but I am still not above a bit of blackmail!) Please leave your review as I have put my heart and soul into this story for a very long time and am very proud with how it has turned out and at the length I have managed to produce, so please leave me some comments!!

Chapter Fifty

Jack stood at the railing for a long time after the navy man had left his side. This ship was his home, the one place where he had felt truly alive, yet now it was a place of death- sure a pirate ship was inevitably going to be the place where people fell to the deaths, that is part of the life of a pirate, but they should be falling for gold that is their purpose, not because of petty revenge. He sighed to himself, and his head swam in dizziness that he had been fighting for hours. He could feel hi legs sagging from beneath him, and just as he was about to hit the deck like a sack of potatoes a pair o strong arms grabbed him from behind and gently pulled him up so that he had a firm grip on the railings in front of him. Jack blinked severally times in order to try to settle his vision into double rather than treble, and found his watery gaze locked firmly on Will Turner.

"'ello Whelp" he greeted his voice laced with emotion that he kept hidden on his blank face. Will sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired face.

"Jack, why are you doing this to yourself?" Will asked the man beside him, his voice clearly showing his concern for his friend. Jack shot a puzzled look at the young man stood next to him. "This isn't your fault, Harry was a mad man, his own daughter has taken your side for god sake" he hissed, his frustration sounding like anger as he spoke to the Captain. Jack sighed at his words and Will took a moment to calm himself down. "I'm sorry Jack, but if even Commodore Norrington agrees that this was not your doing after only hearing the bare minimum of the facts, don't you think that maybe you should give yourself a bit of a break too?" Will asked the older man, and with a last glance at his favourite pirate Will turned and walked away leaving an exhausted pirate to ponder his words. As soon as the blacksmith had left him alone jack allowed his weary head to drop until it rested on his bandaged arm, he ignored the pain that tore through his damaged chest at the moment and for the first time allowed himself to concentrate on the pain that tore through his heart as he allowed himself to shed the tears he had been holding back. He cried for Cotton, he cried for his fallen crew, he cried for Emma and Victoria Birch. He even cried for the man that Harry Birch was long before all this had happened. But most importantly of all this time he cried for Jack Sparrow, he cried for his loss and his pain, and allowed the release to wash over the deck of his Pearl, until he had no emotion left to show.

Elizabeth sighed as she finally felt the bunk beneath her weary body. She was exhausted the last months had taken their toll on the young lady, yet there was nowhere else that she would have been throughout that time, Jack had needed them whether he knew it or not or whether he would admit or not he had needed his friends and she was only too glad to have been able to be there. Even if she only helped for a moment in her mind that was enough. She knew that she loved Jack Sparrow, oh not in a romantic way more in an elder brother kind of way but in some ways that was far better. With his mischievous grin, twinkling eyes and roughish manner Jack was a pleasure to be around, and he deserved so much better than he had been dealt by fate in the last while. Now here they were docked in Port Royal and she knew in her head that it was time for them t leave, time for her and Will to tie the knot and settle down in marriage, perhaps have a family of their own. She truly did want that but somehow in her heart she was dreading leaving Jack, she was afraid that she would never see him again, although she knew that he valued their friendship as much as they valued his she couldn't help but worry. A pirate made many enemies in life, especially one as notorious as Captain Sparrow, and she honestly didn't believe that his heart could take it if he faced another trial like Harry Birch. She yawned to herself, she really was exhausted, so exhausted in fact that her eyes began to drift shut and she was a sleep before she even knew it.

Will sighed with relief as he witnessed as Jack finally succumbed to the much needed emotional release- it was long overdue after all. He stayed discreetly in the background and only moved forward when he saw Jack slump down onto the deck. He approached quietly knowing that Jack would not be keen to know that Will had witnessed his semi-breakdown. However he needn't have worried as Jack was in a deep slumber on the deck his emotional breakdown obviously using up what little energy he had remaining. The young blacksmith sighed in relief, and with a huge push of effort he pulled the pirate into his arms and gently carried him back to the Captain's cabin, noting even then that the Captain weighed far less than he ought to. Carefully he removed his friend's boots and eased his friend's slight frame into a more comfortable position on the bed, then pulled the blankets up around the still form, then with a slight back glance he left the pirate to his dreams, which would hopefully be better than the reality of late.

Jack woke up as the sun was rising in the sky, his mind clearer than he had been for days. He sighed to himself and stretched as far as his battered body would allow, and then carefully swung his legs out of bed and got to his feet, deliberately not even trying to think of who had put him to bed like a child the night before. He shook his head to himself, no he truly wouldn't think about that. He pulled his clean breeches on and struggled into a white shirt, then stooped to pull his boots on, in his heart he knew it was time, after all when you fell off a horse you were supposed to get straight back on again, well it was time for him to get back on. He leant forward and took hold on his beloved sword; he stared at it for a moment, as a hundred memories fought to rise to the surface, memories of men killed by that sword and memories of those saved by it. He sighed once more determined not to allow himself to fall into doom again. Without another thought he placed the sword at his hip and strapped it securely into place, then reached for his pistol and tucked that into the red band around his middle as well. He walked slowly across the room to his table and looked down at the items upon it, at one time his most prized possessions, now just things to him, yet as much as they seemed insignificant to him now he couldn't bring himself to stop caring. With a grin that was reminiscent of the old Captain Jack he took hold of his red bandana that had seen more battles than most pirates, and placed it over his braided hair. When that was in its position he once more turned his attention towards the table and took his tri-cornered hat, placing that over the top of his bandana. With one more backward glance he took the final item and stared at it for a moment, memories of betrayal and loss overtook his soul, then just as quickly a feeling of warmth entered his very being. He flipped open the lid and grinned down at the open item.

"Now just to get rid of the Whelp and Lizzie" he muttered to himself, then turned on his heal and walked out onto the deck. Elizabeth looked up in surprise at the appearance of her friend who looked a million times better than the last time she had seen him.

"Hello Jack, what are you doing?" she asked him, her tone as friendly as ever towards him. He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she was surprised to read the mirth in his eyes.

"I tell ye what 'm doing Lizzie, I am kicking ye and the whelp off of me ship" jack told her, and she grinned back at him. She could have cried in relief, Jack was acting like Jack!

"It'll be my pleasure Captain Sparrow" she responded, and then she moved towards him, stood up on tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his forehead.

"We've missed you Captain Sparrow" she told him, and then went to collect her things. Jack chuckled in shock at her action, yet relieved that at last things were getting back to normal.

Some hours later Will and Elizabeth were finally ready to bid their friend farewell, although their concern was evident in their hesitancy to leave. They had already had a firm talk with their friend outlining in no uncertain terms that he was to contact them whenever he needed them, he had of course laughed it off but both of them knew that he appreciated it. So here they were the three friends were stood on the side of the dock of Port Royal not quite ready to say goodbye, but knowing that they had to.

"Well then I best be off, got ships to plunder and all that" Jack told them, his eyes glistening. The two youngsters smiled at him, showing a fondness that Jack couldn't remember having aimed at him for years.

"Yes, but do keep in touch Jack, I don't want to be worried for you" Elizabeth told him, gently squeezing his bandaged arm as she did so.

"Aye I will pet, but you ain't got no need to worry about old Jack, just remember I am Captain Jack Sparrow, scurge of the Caribbean" Jack told her, and Elizabeth had to laugh.

"Where will you go?" Will asked his friend softly, he had always hated goodbyes.

"I dunno Will'am. Wherever the sea takes me" Jack replied.

"But how will we know how to find you?" Elizabeth asked dismay over her face.

"Same way as ever, I will be out at sea. Just remember we're under the same sky" Jack replied and with a wink he turned on his heel and strode back to his beloved ship. He nodded once at Gibbs and within no time they were sailing away.

"When do you think we will see him again?" Elizabeth asked his fiancé stood beside her.

"At our wedding of course!" Will responded and Elizabeth giggled in delight which in itself was unusual for the ordinarily prim and proper young lady, but somehow it seemed right at that moment. The two stood beside the docks until the Pearl was little more that a dot on the horizon then together they turned and walked away, their hearts light and their minds making plans for the future.

Jack sighed to himself as he stood at the helm, that was it he had said goodbye, now back to business. He plunged his hand into his compass and once more took hold of the last item from his desk flicking open the lid and starring at his compass that didn't point north- but never failed to show him his horizon. Captain Jack Sparrow was back.

**The End**

Sob sob! That is truly it guys! The end finit! Many thanks to everybody who has managed to get his far I truly appreciate it guys!

**_Grey Sky Morning- Teaser_**

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_"Jack she ain't holding!" Ana yelled desperately at her Captain who was currently hanging fast on the helm of his beloved ship, trying to prevent the whole thing from crumbling until the ferocity of the sea._

_"She'll hold!" he yelled back "she'll hold" he muttered to himself, he knew his __Pearl__ better than any person and he was sure that she would not let him down. _

_"Bloody well tie yourself on you stubborn fool!" Ana yelled at him once more and a chuckle escaped him at her words, only she could get away with it. Unfortunately his chuckle soon turned into a gasp and then a cough as the water pounded on his helpless form- until finally he was plunged into darkness._

**_Coming Soon!!!_**

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Anyway there's the teaser for the sequel!

Many thanks goes especially to JackFan2 for all of her beta reader for me! Thank you!!!


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